And the Beat Goes On

We’re working on a number of county issues. Tomorrow the County Commissioners meet in Staff Session to discuss several subjects of interest and importance to WEAN and its members - that would be you.

At 10:00 they will be discussing the Whidbey Island Conservation District’s request for a property tax assessment to support their operations. I have mixed feelings about this because while some conservation districts have done great work, Whidbey Island Conservation District has in the past been little more than a funnel for federal dollars to local farmers who were anything but environmentally conscious. This is not something I want to support. On the other hand, change has come to the Conservation District and maybe the do deserve our support. I’m hoping tomorrow’s discussion will give some clues. One important point is that the Conservation District holds its elections separate from the general electoral process. If you want to vote you have to go to the one or two polling places made available during a very short period on a particular day. We would like to see Conservation District elections handled just like any other junior taxing district. Names go on the general ballot and everybody gets a chance to vote. Perhaps we can convince the Commissioners to make this a condition of granting the Conservation District permission to assess a property tax.

At 10:15 the WRAC (Water Resources Advisory Council) will present a discussion on rain water harvesting. This is a timely topic given the severe temperatures and drought we have experienced this summer. While a rain barrel makes a whole lot of sense, the state Dept of Ecology is worried about people constructing giant holding tanks and intercepting water which otherwise would percolate into the ground and the water table.

At 10:45 there will be a discussion of the Public Records Act and electronic access to documents. This became an issue two weeks ago when I tried to get e.mailed copies of e.mails instead of having them printed out and paying $0.25/page for printouts. State law is quite specific that if a document is available in electronic form, it must be provided in that form. Island County is a bit behind that curve. Hopefully tomorrow’s discussion will bring the county up to speed.