Orcas Island Town Hall illustrates: "No apathy in San Juan County"

Graphic, right, indicates distribution of funds in the County Budget.

A packed house greeted County Councilmen Gene Knapp and Richard Fralick and County Administrator Pete Rose at the Orcas Island “Town Hall” meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

After presenting a lengthy list of agenda topics, including land use enforcement, fireworks referendum, the Eastsound GMA (Growth Management Act) decision, ferries, budget, peddling ordinance, water transfer franchises and litigation, Knapp declared, “There is no apathy in San Juan County – and that’s a good thing.”

The Eastsound Fire Hall was packed with over 70 attendees, and they peppered the county officials with questions and comments for over an hour.

Steve Henigson commented on the status of the sign ordinance (which limits stand-alone signs in the Eastsound GMA), declaring its enforcement as “burdensome, spotty and unfair.” Henigson’s comments were met with applause.

Even more applause followed a discussion about video conferencing and coverage of council meetings. Knapp responded to a recommendation that the Skype program (which is free) be used, saying, ” I’m with you, but the people in the county are not interested; they cite security.”

Knapp went on to say, “What would be conveyed is a public meeting – it’s transparent.”

Pete Rose answered complaints about the stormwater fee, defending the stormwater utility created in 2006 as an agency to protect groundwater and surface water quality.

Fralick added that the basis for the stormwater plan is a manual prepared for the Seattle area, and said “The County staff will look at rural stormwater for regulations that make more sense from the standpoint of our particular environment.”

Fralick is chair of the County Council’s budget subcommittee and, after prefacing his comments by saying, “We can’t print money; we have to look at cutting back services,” he said that the subcommittee’s work will be to “put together a better understanding of what the county is expected to do” to provide both state-mandated and discretionary services.

His committee will be involved in “priority budgeting, based on what citizens need and what we as a county can afford.”

Charlie Binford pointed out that the county is losing money through the state taxing and fees structure, such as the streamlined sales tax initiative that collects taxes at the point of delivery, rather than at the point of sale.  Pete Rose replied, “There’s more than a kernel of truth in what Charlie’s saying,” and added that the effort to report things properly will probably take two to three years.

Joann Frances asked the county officials if there was any progress on fires for “retro-permitting”  and commented, “It’s seems so wasteful of the taxpayers dollars for the county to consider [after the fact] permitting when geo-tech guys say a permit  would never have been issued in the first place.”

Fralick answered that a draft ordinance in the works to consider “retro permits and enforcement issues,”  but declined to comment on the specific case Frances was referring to.

Rose said that the current code doubles the fine for after-the-fact permits, commenting that was “not a lot of deterrence.” The new code would find that if a permit would not have been allowed in the first place, the project, “should be torn down.”

“The penalty section for a repeat violator or for something egregious would have a multiplier figured into it,” said Rose.

Bob Waunch asked for a clarification of county budgets, and Fralick noted that there is a five percent reduction in construction, which ordinarily amps up the revenue side of the budget, and that the Real Estate investment excise tax is “way down because properties are not moving. ”

Fralick noted that personnel is 72 percent of the general budget, and Waunch asked if the Public Works department fund is separate from the General Fund.

In confirming that it was, Fralick said that the Public Works fund includes the road fund, equipment repair and stormwater.

Waunch asked if the council had considered “contracting out all labor in public works as opposed to hiring workers as county employees.

Rose said a “significant” amount of contracting in Public Works, such as the chipsel program, was already in place.

Charley Robinson asked about the progress on a street peddling ordinance and Knapp pointed out that, with the implementation of the County Charter form of government in 2006, part of the council’s work had been updating county ordinances. “We’re now down to about 10 [ordinances] and we hope to get to [the street peddling ordinance] beore summer.”

Ed LeCocq complained that a “pervasive drug problem” was to blame for a recent spate of burglaries, and that the county sheriff and public officials should be more involved. Rose replied that county crime does not seem to be due to “a formal organization.”

Pierrette Guimond presented a letter to the Council regarding cell towers, which included information that on Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts’ coast, smaller towers are being used and are subsidized by $450,000 from the industry.

Guimond noted that over 10 years ago, “Citizens worked very hard to protect the rural residential areas where cell [towers] are put.”

Mindy Kayl suggested that the cell tower ordinance be formulated to address each county district separately.

Patty Miller announced that there would be a meeting of the cell tower siting committee on Feb. 26 in Friday Harbor. (Another cell phone siting committee meeting will be held this Wednesday, March 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Legislative Conference Room across the street from the County Courthouse in Friday Harbor.)

Leith Templin questioned the council vote on increasing the salaries of the Noxious Weed control staff. Knapp replied that, after some confusion about the voting, “It didn’t seem right that one department out of 26 got a raise when we’re laying off people in other departments – it galls me.”

The county officials asked Ed Sutton, Chair of the County Ferry Advisory Committee, to report on ferries. Sutton said that, in the Ferries’ draft Long Range Plan before the State Legislature, the “draconian” Plan B, (which would extensively cut ferry services), “is dead. We’re trying to get as close to Plan A as possible.”

“The Sidney connection looks to be safe,” Sutton said. In conversations with “key Senators,” Sutton said that a plan to “close the funding gap in operations” is being formulated. This plan would recommend a six percent tariff increase for six years (the current increase has been held at 2.5 percent), and the imposition of a fuel surcharge, should oil prices skyrocket, and a “Super Summer Surcharge.”

“We have to be diligent that we’re not overburdened with more fare increases,” Sutton said.

Rose commented that the state is dealing with “a convergence of economic problems,” but added that the plan is to make passenger rates rise slower than vehicle rates.

George Post asked, “Is sustainability as a community an issue that informs your decision-making? It seems to be all financially and legally determined. When is money not the highest value?”

After applause from the audience, Fralick said, “We are interested in maintaining the quality of life and effectiveness of government – these are the over-riding things. We are reluctant to ask for more money until we can look and understand where we are in terms of priorities.”

Knapp said, “From my experience, almost every decision is made [considering] what’s good for the entire county.”