Early Bird registration discount available through November 3

Only a few days remain to take advantage of the Early Bird registration discount for the 2011 WSAC Annual Conference and Products & Services Showcase. The event will be held in King County from November 15-17, 2011 at the Bellevue Hilton.  

Agenda and Registration Information

WSAC members, affilate members, business partners and friends won't want to miss the Association's annual gathering which features a full agenda of discussion, speakers and professional development and networking events. Keynote speakers include Brian Baird, former U.S. Congressman, and William Ruckelshaus.

A select group of providers, including federal and state programs, will be on hand to showcase their products and services for county government. Their support, along with our conference sponsors, help defray registration costs and we thank them for their participation. 

Thanks to our event sponsors:

Snohomish County Council champions extending partnership with Allied Waste Services

Submitted by Joe Casalini, Director of Business Development, Allied Waste Services

Snohomish County Councilmember Stephanie Wright speaking with Machinists Local 751 member Bill McGinnis at Roosevelt Regional Landfill.

On October 5, 2011, the Snohomish County Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting a continued partnership with Klickitat County and Allied Waste for solid waste transport and disposal.

Highlighting Allied's two decades of success using the waste-by-rail system before voting, Snohomish County Councilman Brian Sullivan recalled, "Twenty years ago I actually had the honor of staffing the original long haul contract and working through the logistics and the issues related to moving all the solid waste out of Snohomish County to eastern Washington." 

We're proud the partnership between Klickitat County, Snohomish County, and Allied is the longest-standing environmental partnership of its kind in Washington.

In times most utilities are increasing their rates, Allied has been able to guarantee rate stability though our three pillars of sustainability. First, our landfill design and operations are among the most innovative in the world. Second, our waste-by-rail system takes trucks off our already crowded highways, limits our reliance on oil, and is three times cleaner than trucking. Third, our landfill gas-to-energy facility uses waste to create energy that can be sold back to local utilities.

The Snohomish County Council resolution cited the regional benefits achieved through Allied's Roosevelt Regional Landfill gas-to-energy program. Not only is gas-to-energy an efficient and innovative approach to waste reuse, the program, along with waste-by-rail, creates and sustains family-wage jobs in an uncertain economic climate. It also eliminates greenhouse gases and uses our waste stream as a fuel source.

Allied provides thousands of jobs throughout the state, including over 150 at Roosevelt. In fact, Roosevelt generates significant direct, indirect and, induced revenue for Klickitat County.

Allied has been providing Washington residents and businesses with recycling services since 1927. Today, we're proud to provide solid waste collection and disposal to hundreds of thousands of Washington residents.

We're thrilled to again be a sponsor of the upcoming WSAC annual conference in Bellevue. We'll see you there!

Meet WSAC Member, Commissioner Shon Small

We continue our Insider series featuring Association members with Benton County's newest Commissioner. If you are interested in becoming a featured member, please contact Michelle Nelson.

Benton County Commissioner Shon Small

 

As Benton County Deputy Sheriff and a 20+ year career in law enforcement, you were involved in public safety from the swat team to narcotics to tracking sex offenders. How did that background prepare you for Commissioner?

My 20 plus years as a Deputy Sheriff gave me the insight of the inner workings of Benton County including areas such as Public Works, Planning, Public Health and other departments that supports the efforts of the Public Service.

I had been thinking of running for County Commissioner for many years and then in 2006 the Governor appointed me to serve as a Commissioner on the statewide Criminal Justice Training Commission. Others encouraged me to enter the race and I prevailed.

Because I was a first responder, I naturally put the public first, which is an important part of serving as an elected official.

Read the full interview with Commissioner Small

Member News

WSAC would like to welcome its newest member, Commissioner Steve Bloomfield who was appointed October 4 to the Mason County Board of Commissioners by Commissioners Lynda Ring Erickson and Tim Sheldon from a field of 16 applicants. Commissioner Bloomfield fills the seat vacated by the sudden passing of Jerry Lingle this August. The position will be up for election in 2012.

King County receives federal grant for low-income health care

The federal Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery a five-year, $8.3 million grant. The grant will provide substance abuse screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment for low-income adults receiving primary care in selected community health clinics in Seattle and King County.

"The project will integrate behavioral and primary health care and create a sustainable reimbursement system in Washington.  Patients who are at risk for substance abuse will receive comprehensive screening, early intervention and referrals to treatment. This grant provides us with a tremendous opportunity to develop a system that integrates primary care, mental health, and now substance abuse services, positioning us well for health care reform," said Jim Vollendroff, Assistant Division Director and Drug and Alcohol Coordinator for the King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division.

Over the five years of the grant, services will be provided in the 30 federally qualified health centers, public health clinics and Harborview primary care clinics that serve King County's most vulnerable individuals. Services will begin in six clinics run by Neighborcare Health and Sea Mar Community Health Center. People needing treatment will be served through the existing countywide network of contracted providers. 

Ecology releases proposed stormwater rules for public comments

The state's most populated urban areas are required to have this permit under the federal Clean Water Act.

The permits, required to be updated every five years under the federal Clean Water Act, are designed to gradually increase environmental protections over time with each new update. They prevent and control rainwater runoff.  Runoff from hardened surfaces in populated areas picks up chemicals and bacteria and carries it downstream into our waters. 

To provide economic relief for local governments, Ecology will maintain the status quo and re-issue the current Phase I and Phase II permits in Western Washington for an additional year.  Phase I refers to the state's most populated areas. Phase II are the next-most populated areas. The new permits will not go into effect until 2013, and new permit requirements will be phased in over the five year life of the permit. 

Highlights of new Western Washington stormwater permits

The new proposed permits include provisions for a regional, coordinated storm water monitoring program. Ecology collaborated with a group of local governments and other interested parties to design a Regional Stormwater Monitoring Program for Western Washington. 

Ecology's Bill Moore, who oversees the state's water quality permits said:  "Monitoring is important to stormwater control because you can't manage what you can't measure. It's our feedback loop - it tells us if our steps are helping, if they are effective. It helps us treat and control runoff effectively, and gives us the most for our limited money."

In the updated permits, local governments have the option to do their own monitoring, or they can join a regionalized storm water monitoring program designed to minimize costs. Ecology would administrator the program.

New low-impact development requirements

Another key part of the updated Western Washington Phase II permits will be the requirement for low-impact development (LID) where feasible.  LID systems strive to mimic the natural environment so water can be taken up by trees or soak into the ground.

In the proposed permits, LID projects will need to target runoff problems caused by existing development so current pollution problems do not grow. They also must apply to new development - where pollution prevention is less expensive than cleanup.

Ecology worked with local governments and interested parties to define where LID is feasible in the Western Washington permits. The proposed permits provide specifics that will help determine feasibility of a LID technique at a project site.  For example, if the soils drain very slowly, a LID measure that tries to get runoff to soak into the ground is not advisable, and does not have to be used.

The Western Washington Phase II draft permit will also match up with the Phase I permit by requiring management of runoff at sites that are less than one acre.

Ecology proposes that the Phase I cities and counties begin implementing the LID site requirements by Dec. 31, 2015, and proposes a date of December 31, 2016, to update broader development codes.

Phase II communities would have until Dec. 31, 2016, to adopt the site-scale standards. They would have until Dec. 31, 2017, to update broader development codes to allow LID.

Ecology's public process to develop the permits has been extensive.  The agency began working with local governments in 2007 and has used their feedback to develop the new permits.

Additional communities may be subject to stormwater permits

Over the next several months, Ecology will be evaluating whether or not five additional Western Washington jurisdictions should be subject to the permit. They are:  Snoqualmie, Lynden, Clallam County (Port Angeles Urban Growth Area - UGA), Island County (Oak Harbor UGA), and Lewis County (Centralia UGA).

Ecology invites public comments on the proposed Phase I and Phase II Municipal Stormwater General permits until 5 p.m., Feb. 3, 2012. Find copies of the draft permits, fact sheets and information about upcoming workshops at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/2012draftMUNIcom.html.

Highlights of new Eastern Washington stormwater permits

Runoff is the biggest pollution threat to urban-area lakes and streams in Washington. Even though it doesn't rain as much in Eastern Washington compared to the west side, polluted runoff from rooftops, streets and parking lots is a problem in urban areas east of the Cascades.

Ecology's Bill Moore said: "The Eastern Washington permits are not just about runoff. They focus on managing good drainage systems, managing plumbing, and mapping storm drain systems to make sure sewers are not dumping into storm systems."

The proposed permit for Eastern Washington does not include a regional stormwater monitoring program, as in Western Washington. 

"We plan on working with Eastern Washington communities to develop a regional approach to stormwater monitoring that meets their regional needs," Moore said.

Eastern Washington is already doing much of what is required in the proposed permit, he added.

Additional communities may be subject to storm water permits

Over the next several months, Ecology will be evaluating seven additional jurisdictions across the state that could be subject to the permit.  The Eastern Washington jurisdictions are:  Grandview and Kittitas County's Ellensburg Urban Growth Area.

Ecology invites public comments on the Eastern Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater General Permit until 5 p.m., Feb. 3, 2012. Find copies of the draft permit, fact sheets and information about upcoming workshops at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/2012draftMUNIcom.html.

If you have questions about the Eastern Washington permits, contact Harriet Beale at harriet.beale@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-6457.  

Counties asked to assist with study on judicial costs for ITA commitments

During the 2011 session, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill  5531 which sets up a process for counties with Evaluation and Treatment (E &T) beds to apply for reimbursement of costs of providing judicial services associated with commitments for involuntary mental health treatment under the Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA). Under the bill, funds would be allocated from funding from Regional Support Network (RSN) annual allocations and a process would be set up between RSNs to bill for county cost per commitment based on the county of residence.  

The Legislature also directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to:
* Assess the direct costs of providing judicial services for involuntary civil commitments; 
* Review and analyze the reasons for differences in costs among counties; and
* Recommend methods for updating the costs to reflect changes over time.

JLARC staff will be contacting counties with E&T facilities to seek information about superior court, prosecution, assigned counsel, and county clerk services related to ITA commitments.  This is similar to the survey last summer, but in this version JLARC is interested in processes and the time and effort involved in handling commitment cases, as well as costs.  Your assistance is essential to their assessment. 

If you have questions about the study, please contact Rashi Gupta, WSAC staff at (360) 561-6547. JLARC staff assigned to the study are John Bowden at (360) 786-5298 or Tracey Elmore at (360) 786-5191.

On October 13, Governor Chris Gregoire signed an executive order extending the state's moratorium on non-critical rule making to December 31. 2012. As a result of the previous year's moratorium, cabinet agencies put 436 rules - about half of what was proposed - on hold.

"It's clear from the state of our economy that the timing isn't right to end the moratorium," Gregoire said. "Giving small businesses and local governments more time to devote their full attention to creating jobs and helping communities will help support the economy."
 
Gregoire's moratorium directs state agencies to continue to suspend new rule development and adoption but not at the expense of public health, safety and welfare. The Office of Financial Management will continue to provide guidelines to develop and adopt new rules during the moratorium. These guidelines allow rules related to employment assistance, consumer protection or government reform to move forward, and allow rulemaking when required by laws or court orders, or to respond to budget cuts or protect fund solvency. An example of one such rule that is moving forward, regarding mecury containing lights, is featured in the article below.

Agencies can also move forward with rules that protect Washingtonians from significant risks to public health, safety or welfare, or by request of local governments, businesses or entities the state regulates.

According to state agencies, federal or state laws drove approximately half of the rules that were adopted during the previous moratorium. The remaining rules were adopted to respond to budget cuts, to protect the public health, welfare and safety, or because they were requested by regulated entities and stakeholders.  

Ecology moving forward on mercury lights rulemaking

The Mercury-Containing Lights Product Stewardship Program (Mercury Lights Program) rule making implements state law (RCW 70.275) passed by lawmakers in the 2010 legislative session.  This new rule will: 

• Establish the responsibilities of producers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, and electric utilities to safely manage mercury-containing lights sold in or into Washington State. 
• Establish program requirements, such as developing a product stewardship plan, outreach and education efforts, and annual reporting requirements.
• Establish requirements for collecting, transporting, processing and recycling mercury-containing lights.
• Establish the enforcement process. 
• Establish how producers will fully fund the product stewardship program.
• Include other requirements necessary to implement the program such as definitions.

Public health and health care stakeholders meet in Vancouver

WSALPHO members honored with awards of excellence

Connecting Washington Task Force continues meeting

Early this year the Governor appointed a task force to develop and recommend a 10 year transportation investment strategy.  Counties are represented by Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, Benton County Commissioner Leo Bowman and Fred Jarrett.  The meetings so far have focused on the needs of transit, cities, counties, ports, tribes and the state.  The committee now has a fairly good understanding of needs and now is beginning to focus in on the priorities.   They meet November 15th in Olympia where we anticipate them adopting the strategy and priorities.  The last meeting will focus on revenue levels and options.

There will be an opportunity for you to meet with your representatives on the Task Force from 7:30 to 9:00 am on November 16th during the WSAC conference.  Please come visit with them in Bellevue. 

New toolkits available for counties

NACo has recently released two handbooks to assist counties. The first is a Public Health toolkit, which serves as a resource for counties about some of the key aspects of the Affordable Care Act related to national, state and local prevention and public health activities. 

NACo has partnered with several "green purchasing" leaders to develop the most comprehensive resource to help your county save money by purchasing green products. The County Green Purchasing Toolkit is an interactive Web-based resource that can help you find green products, set goals, develop effective policies, educate officials and staff, and learn from other counties' successes.

Download the Public Health toolkit

Download the Green Purchasing toolkit 

WSAC Seeks Member Nominees

WSAC is asking for nominations from elected Commissioners, Councilmembers and Executives for the following openings on statewide boards and commissions.

The WSAC Board of Directors will appoint or nominate WSAC members to fill expiring terms for the statewide boards and commissions listed below at their regular board meeting on November 15, 2011 in King County.

All interested members need to submit an online statement of interest for any of the positions listed below by Friday, November 4th. 

Per WSAC policy, we have noted if the member who currently serves in the position has indicated their interest in being reappointed. This does not preclude other members from applying. Those wishing to be reappointed must also fill out the online form.

If you have questions about the process, contact Eric Johnson.

OPEN POSITIONS

Bridge Replacement Advisory Committee  - BRAC (1 position open to county elected officials and appointees)
4 year term starting 1/1/12
 
Building Code Council- Western (1 position)
3 year term starting 1/6/12

E-911 Advisory Committee - Eastern (1 position)
3 year term starting 1/1/12

E-911 Advisory Committee - Eastern Alternate (2 positions)

3 year term starting 1/1/12

Commissioner Laura Merrill, Pend Oreille County, and Commissioner Bob Koch, Franklin County, seek reappointment.

E-911 Advisory Committee - Western (1 position)

3 year term starting 1/1/12
 

E-911 Advisory Committee - Western Alternate (1 position)

3 year term starting 1/1/12

Forensic Investigation Council (1 position)

The appointee will fulfill an unexpired 4 year term through August 10, 2013

Heritage Barn Advisory Council - Ad Hoc 
 

Invasive Species Council, WA State - Eastern (1 positions)

The appointee will fulfill a term through 6/30/17

Invasive Species Council, WA State - Western (1 position)

The appointee will fulfill a term through 6/30/2017
 

Jail Industries Board (1 position)

3 year term starting 10/5/11

WA Community Forestry Council (1 position)

3 year term starting 1/1/12

Dave Nelson, Grant County Community Development Director, seeks reappointment.