clintoncommunitycouncil.org

County Commissioner Melanie Bacon’s Newsletter

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 19th week of 2026.

We are transitioning our website documents to a new format to make them all ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, and like most new software implementations we’re finding a few glitches. So if you encounter wonkiness with some of our links for a while (I found two just this morning) please be patient with us while we work this out.

  • The Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners was held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026; video recording here: https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/742573bd-7eeb-4e0f-8a28-b2661f9d7d1c.
  • Tentative Upcoming Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Public Hearings (held during board meetings, beginning at 10 am, unless otherwise noted):
    • Tuesday, May 5:         St. Peter Franchise  
    • Tuesday, May 5:         Hellum Franchise  
    • Tuesday, May 12:       Curbside Recycling
    • Tuesday, May 19:       Procurement   
    • Tuesday, May 19:       Amending Record of Proceedings code
    • Tuesday, June 2:        SE Camano Franchise
    • Tuesday, June 2:        Olympic Marine Franchise
    • Tuesday, June 2:        Higgins Franchise
    • Tuesday, June 9:        Private/commercial dog kennels
    • Tuesday, June 9:        Potentially dangerous dogs
  • The agenda for the Wednesday May 6 Work Session is here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter – docaccess-40c6752ab804bc1b9d8dc968c49a719e; the recording is here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14670/05062026-WS-Audio.
    • We had a robust conversation and presentation about the proposed new Jail, beginning at mark 0:1:54 in the recording. The presentation begins on page 5 of the agenda; in this presentation we talked about the issues driving this project and the timeline for next steps.
    • The second part of the jail conversation was a discussion on the selection of the site. We opted to not move forward with the resolution proposed (which selected a specific site); instead we tasked the Facilities Director to work with a jail consultant to perform a comparative validation of the three sites to ensure the County fully understands the known variables, risks, and cost implications before committing to a site.
    • The scheduled Human Services presentation was tabled for a future date.
    • The agenda for the Wednesday May 13 Work Session is here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05132026-1170. On that agenda: a discussion on the final drafts of the Island County 2025 Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations, and discussion of budget status, revenue concerns, and Commissioner goals and direction for the 2027 Budget Process.
  • On Wednesday the Board also interviewed applicants for interim Superior Court Clerk. We appointed Michelle Schisler who served as the final Deputy Clerk under Debra Van Pelt. Ms. Schisler is not running for the office in the upcoming election, which we feel will provide the office with consistency for the next five months while also placing all of the candidates on an equal footing for the voters. The interviews can be heard here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14669/05062026-Clerk-Interviews-Audio; one of the candidates scheduled was unable to be interviewed due to a family emergency.
  • Planning Commission and the Comprehensive Plan Update:   After two years of in-depth work, this month the Planning Commission will finish their involvement in the development of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan. The Board is very grateful to everyone who served on this essential board during this time. Here is a link to the Planning Commission page:  https://www.islandcountywa.gov/235/Planning-Commission. You can find details on their meetings and minutes, including Zoom info, here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/Planning-Commission-4. The agendas are published at least a week in advance. They intend to hold three Planning Commission meetings in May as shown below, in the Commissioners Hearing Room in Coupeville:
    • The final draft Comprehensive Plan is here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/209/Comprehensive-Plan.
    • Wednesday May 13 – Workshop @ 6 PM (this replaces the usual first-Wednesday meeting in order to give the Planning Commission and public sufficient time to review the final draft Comp Plan)
    • Wednesday May 20 – Public Hearing @ 6 PM
    • Wednesday May 27 – Public Hearing @ 6 PM
  • Island Transit news: https://www.islandtransit.org/
  • Island Senior Resources news: https://senior-resources.org/.
  • Message from WSDOT: SR 20 to close for three nights starting Monday, May 11, for roundabout paving near Oak Harbor
    • OAK HARBOR – Eastbound and westbound State Route 20 will close for three nights beginning Monday, May 11, at West Fakkema Road north of Oak Harbor.
    • These closures will allow contractors working for the Washington State Department of Transportation to remove and replace pavement at the new SR 20 compact roundabout at West Fakkema Road. The project was suspended over the winter.
    • What to expect:
    • From 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday, May 11, through Thursday morning, May 14, both directions of SR 20 will close between Regatta Drive and Ault Field Road.
    • People traveling through the area should use one of the following detours:
      • Eastbound and westbound SR 20 travelers should use West Ault Field and Goldie roads.
      • Local traffic on the east side of SR 20 should use Sleeper and West Crescent Harbor roads.
    • Some of the work requires dry and warm weather and may need to be rescheduled.
    • The new roundabout was designed to slow vehicle speeds near the intersection, calm traffic and help create easier decisions for drivers. The project is expected to finish in June, when crews return to install permanent striping.
  • I will meet with interested citizens at the WiFire Community Space in Freeland at 3 pm on each Monday through the month of May.

Melanie

Today is National Military Spouse Appreciation Day, which recognizes the significant contributions, support, and sacrifices made by the spouses of the men and women in the Armed Forces. 

“The resilience of our families…and our children…is absolutely what has allowed us to do things that we’ve asked our force to do. The strength of our U.S. Armed Forces, the strength of our nation is in…our military families.”   ~ General Joseph Dunford, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff