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District 3 County Commissioner
Kelly Emerson
1 NE 7th Street
PO Box 5000
Coupeville, WA 98239
Ph. (360) 679-7354
e-mail:
k.emerson@co.island.wa.us
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Come to meetings
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Commissioner's Meetings
First 3 Mondays at 10am, Fourth Monday at 2pm
Commissioner's Workshops
1st & 3rd Wednesday at 9am
2nd Wednesday at 10am
Click here for meeting agenda information
Planning Commission Meeting Info.
I serve on these boards:
IC Council of Governments
IC Board of Health
IC Transit Board
NW Clean Air Agency
NW Regional Council
NW Workforce Council
Reg. Transport. PolicyFarmhouse Gang
LEOFFSolid Waste Advisory Courthouse Security ICOM 911 SRF Loan Committee National Public Lands WA Bridge Replacement
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Greetings!
What a joyous time of year it is. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or some other form, may you celebrate it to the fullest.
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More Increased Fees (read: Taxes)
Last year's surprising "No" vote (2-1) on the resolution to increase building permit fees was followed by a promise to revisit annually. Fast forward to this year, and it was another 2-1 vote, this time passing with only my vote in opposition.
The planning department was showing revenues of some $30,000 less than anticipated. Had they taken the increase last year, they claimed, this deficit wouldn't have happened.
It is difficult, I agree, to develop budgets based on estimates of what the economy will bring. But my word, it's due time we begin putting a negative factor on our estimates to hopefully produce "windfalls" rather than "shortfalls."
By no means do I blame the staff in this situation. After all, they work for the majority. But fixing a budget gap with a fee increase on the hardest hit industry of the "Great Recession" is, in my mind, not at all acceptable.
Several others who spoke against the resolution at the public hearing shared the same sentiment.
Other issues of concern were:
What happens when the numbers of permits rise? Will the surplus dollars that result from this increase be absorbed into the general fund? (We all know that has happened in the past.) Shouldn't it stay with the department?
What happened to the efficiency that the new software was supposed to bring? Have we had the time to evaluate that yet?
Perhaps my biggest question came up a week or two later when I saw a $74,000 check from Island Transit for permit fees. Was that in the equation when the deficit was announced? I'll have to ask.
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Don't Tread on Rhoddie!
Rhododendron Park in Central Whidbey is cherished by many, it seems--certainly the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. Recently a Disc Golf club from the island proposed setting up a tournament style disc golf course in some of the forested acreage.
Okay, first let me explain disc golf. We used to call it "frisbee golf." Basically, you toss discs (small frisbees) from a starting location to a slightly elevated basket some distance away. Just as in golf, courses have either 9 or 18 holes.
Unlike regular golf, these courses normally wind through forests. It's just not as much fun on open grass, which is one reason the club was coming to us with this proposal.
As explained to my cohorts at a workshop, there is already an 18 hole course at Fort Nugent Park in Oak Harbor, but several of the back 9 holes are on an open field.
Marianne Edain of the Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN) was tipped off to the proposal and sent out a frantic e-mail before the day's agenda was finished.
The e-mail, while not in CAPS, screamed of forest destruction and ecological degradation. I responded back, almost immediately, that this was not the case. Disc golf courses, I told her, do not get rid of trees and plant lawns. Instead, the obstacles (trees) are greatly admired.
Then came the Whidbey Camano Land Trust response. They put out the call for letter writers, phone callers, and e-mailers to bombard our offices with cries of "don't let them cut down our forest and make fairways."
In the same tone of mis-information used to promote the Trillium Forest purchase, they successfully stopped this effort.
My comments pertained mostly to the point that I appeared to be the only one attempting to quell the mis-information and get the truth out so that we could have a legitimate discussion.
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A Day at the Beach
It may seem an odd time of year for this topic but "the plan" just came in and the subject will soon hit a work session.
Lovely Iverson Beach on northeast Camano was practically a hidden paradise until the Seattle Times revealed it. That, combined with state park fees, has driven the masses to the wholesome hideaway during the beach season.
The result, of course, brings aggravation for the homeowners along the single access road. A parking lot which was put in some time back is now insufficient. During the off season, many locals wrongfully allow their dogs to run off-leash in the area. Enforcement for illegal parking and off-leash dogs is very difficult.
So Iverson Beach will be getting some attention soon. Those of you concerned can find a link to the management plan on our public works section of the Island County website. (Click here for that particular page.)
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It is an honor to serve you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Emerson
Island County Commissioner - District 3
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