Friday Harbor Town Council December 4, 2025

Council Member de Freitas chaired the meeting and was sworn on for a new term.

The town gave Rochelle Rodonsky of the Friday Harbor Food Bank a $15,000 check from the Friday Harbor Life Ring and spoke of the origin of the Life Ring Fund. 

Katie Fleming from San Juan County presented the draft Solid Waste Plan for San Juan County which includes the Town of Friday Harbor.  The council approved sending this joint plan to Washington State Department of Ecology for review. 

Ryan Page, the San Juan County Affordable Housing Coordinator, presented San Juan County’s 5-year Homeless Plan. A plan must be adopted by December 31 with a public hearing scheduled for December 9. 

The council adopted an ordinance fixing salaries of elected and non-represented personnel.   

The council approved a 6-month moratorium on new transient accommodations, short-term rentals, timeshares or vacation rentals and scheduled a public hearing on January 15 to discuss the transient accommodations moratorium.

The town administrator reported that the Public Work’s Director was appointed to one of 17 positions on Washington State’s Recycling Reform Act Advisory Council. She thanked the Street Departments for the town holiday decorations including extending the snowflakes and tree wraps to new locations. 

The finance director reviewed the utility-based and production fees.  The continued November 6^h public hearing was reopened to consider proposed revenue sources and utility rates. The council unanimously adopted to increase water rates 13%, sewer rates by 3%, stormwater rates by 25%.  Connection charges for water were raised 13%, for sewer 3%, and for stormwater by 25%. They equalized consumption rates between in-town and out-of-town residents.

The finance director provided an update on the draft 2026 budget expenditures.  The council opened a public hearing to hear public testimony on the preliminary budget and expenditures.  No public comment was submitted.

Recording of Town Council meetings can be viewed from this site.  https://www.fridayharbor.org/2202/Agenda-Meetings-and-Video 

*The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to promote public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.