Submitted by The League of Women Voters Observer Corps.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
San Juan Fire and Rescue #3 regular meeting of Sept. 12
Early in the meeting, the commissioners went into a private session to discuss a matter with legal counsel. When the public meeting convened, the commission passed Resolution 23-01, which allowed the appointment of the Fire Chief as the claims agent for the fire and rescue district. All claims were to be submitted in person or by regular or certified mail, with a return receipt requested. The claims shall be presented to the agent on a standard tort claim form that is maintained by the Office of Risk Management in the Department of Enterprise Services.
The commissioners also discussed the recruitment of a new Fire Chief. The job announcement was ready, with the exception of a salary range. It was based largely on previous announcements with some tweaking. The aim was to post it within a few weeks of the commission meeting. It was suggested that the salary range be $135,000-150,000. This was within the range of the salaries of the Lopez and Orcas fire chiefs. The commissioners discussed the process for reviewing applications. The application process would close on Nov. 30. It was suggested that after the applications were reviewed for completeness and accuracy, the top five candidates would be interviewed on Skype. The list would be narrowed to the two or three candidates who would be interviewed further before a decision is made. These interviews would take place in December. The aim is to have someone on board by January or February. Having discussed the salary range and process, the commissioners approved a motion to go forward with the recruitment process as described.
The remainder of the meeting focused on financials and staff reports. More information can be found at https://www.sjifire.org/about/governance/, including the recordings of the meeting and financial reports.
County Council regular meeting of Oct. 10
SAFE San Juans Director Dave Dunaway thanked the Council for putting purple lights on county buildings and the Council proclaimed October Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The Council continued budget hearings: The Environmental Stewardship Department is responsible for Marine Resources, Solid Waste (includes derelict vessels), Stormwater, Clean Water, Climate Resilience and Cultural Resources. There is a significant capital budget for stormwater, water quality and marine projects and restoration, most of which is grant-funded. The County contracts with the Town of Friday Harbor for some stormwater services but will bring in out-of-county contractors for Lopez and Orcas as the town faces equipment and staff issues. Given the large number of capital projects, one Council member queried whether the section needs its own engineer vs. contracting for engineering services.
The Land Bank has 30 sites open to the public and expects to open one new site each on Orcas, Lopez and San Juan in 2024. It manages the Conservation Area Fund and Stewardship Fund. Activities are moving from caretaking to active management for sustainability, including forest thinning and restoration. They are replacing gas-fired equipment with electric versions.
The Treasurer’s Office is asking that a fifth position, cut in lean times, be restored to help manage increased estate-related tax activity, as well as reimbursement from Environmental Stewardship and Noxious Weed Control for collecting their service fees.
The Department of Community Development has four offices; building, land use, long-range planning and code enforcement. Their 2024 goals are to convert all permitting applications to online; reduce permit backlog; fill vacant positions and to propose code revisions to remove conflicts and create clarity. They have a grant for the next comprehensive plan update. The interim director recommends adding three positions: a planning chief, a code enforcement officer and an administrative assistant for the Fire Mashall. There are large numbers of code violations that can’t be enforced with current staff. He recommends transferring the environmental code enforcement position from Environmental Stewardship to DCD; this would reverse a move recommended by a previous Charter Review Commission to address a perceived conflict of interest.
The Noxious Weed Control presented a status quo budget request and asked to reclassify the summer staff as seasonal vs. temporary to improve recruitment and retention. The Council reviewed proposals from Environmental Stewardship for Clean Water and Capital Improvement Plan service charges and asked to review some alternate options on Oct. 31. They set a public hearing for Nov. 7 for ordinances setting property tax levies for 2024 for roads, general expenses and land conservation futures.
Staff presented the results of the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Risk Assessment study which identified 12 vulnerable areas on four islands, looking at roads and public facilities that could be impacted in coming decades.
The Council appointed Libi Geddes to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. The Council then went into Executive Session to discuss possible real estate transactions.
