County Council June 3, 2025
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The Council proclaimed June as Pride Month noting the challenging times for the LGBTQ community and the commitment of the county to be safe and welcoming for all. Representatives from the SI Pride Foundation and the Orcas Island Pride spoke about their organizations’ events this month and the goal of protection especially for the trans community and trans youth.
At a public hearing on siting of an essential public facility for county operations on Shaw Island, the attorney for a group of Shaw residents asked that the decision be transferred from the council to the hearing examiner, who would be hearing an appeal on the environmental impact assessment (CEPA). He argued this was a quasi-judicial decision and the Council thus had a conflict of interest. A Shaw resident said there was no urgency to decide now and asked the county to take the time to do a proper environmental assessment and to fix contradictions in the existing document regarding soil imports and forest clearing. The deputy PA said his office’s opinion was that the siting decision was purely legislative and the council faced no conflict in proceeding. If the hearing examiner should have concerns about the CEPA, that can be addressed in the next steps of the process. The Council approved the siting.
After a public hearing the Council approved the 2025 first budget amendments which increased the 2025 budget by about $9.5 million and increased available cash by about $2 million. After a public hearing in which the Economic Development Council staff voiced their support, the council approved an ordinance to provide more stable funding for the EDC from the public facilities financing.
The Council heard an end-of-session update from their state lobbyist and updates from the county manager on the potential impact of state and federal funding decisions on county operations. In the state budget money was shifted with more for transportation and education and less for health. There is some new funding available for public safety grants for police and courts. The county got a grant to address seismic issues for the historic courthouse, and money for the Pea Patch on Orcas and the Lopez Library, Food Center and Swimming pool. The state will be eliminating the Regional Health Officer that the county has depend on for back up, and federal funding for public health services could see significant cuts.
WSU University is experiencing financial issues that could affect extension services as they seek to regionalize administration. The county interviewed for a new public defender and will be interviewing candidates to head Community Development next week.
 The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization 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.