Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 22nd week of 2026.
- The Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners was held on Tuesday, May 26 2026; video recording here: https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/aa12f9ab-f837-4161-acae-d93046ef33d8.
- This was a 5-minute meeting, with no public comments, no regular agenda items, and no public hearings.
- The agenda for the Tuesday June 2 meeting is here: https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/3f587f0d-1910-49cc-aa14-35636223b002. On that agenda: the Long Range Planning team will discuss the outcome of the final Planning Commission meetings held on the 2025 Comprehensive Plan, and the Board will set a date (June 23, perhaps continued to June 24) to hold public hearings on the Comp Plan and related code changes that must be amended immediately after the comp plan is approved (Titles VIII, XI, XIII, XIV, XVI, and XVII). Note: this agenda includes the latest 795-page Comp Plan draft and the 258-page Code Change draft (which also repeals the moratorium on building in the mixed-use LAMIRDS).
- The agenda for June 2 also includes three franchise public hearings—but since there wasn’t sufficient public notice given on them I intend to immediately continue all three to June 16 without taking public comment or action; see June 16 public hearings shown below.
- Tentative Upcoming Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Public Hearings (held during board meetings, beginning at 10 am, unless otherwise noted):
- Tuesday, June 9: Private/commercial dog kennels
- Tuesday, June 9: Potentially dangerous dogs
- Tuesday, June 16: SE Camano Franchise
- Tuesday, June 16: Olympic Marine Franchise
- Tuesday, June 16: Higgins Franchise
- Tuesday, June 23: Establishing a Farm & Ag Committee (Assessor)
- Tuesday, June 23: Comp Plan
- Wednesday, June 24: Comp Plan continued (if needed) – at 2 pm
- Tuesday, July 7: TIP/CIP
- Tuesday, July 7: Rockaway Park (franchise)
- Tuesday, July 7: Wiedmann & Fuller (franchise)
- There was no work session held this week and the work session for next week has been cancelled.
- The next Work Session for the Board of Island County Commissioners will be held Wednesday June 10. The agenda for that meeting will be posted by Friday, June 5 here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter.
- On Wednesday May 27 the Council of Governments (COG) and Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization (IRTPO) met.
- COG agenda: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter – docaccess-2c834c487f62848a0e219056cee2fb57; recording: islandcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14788/May-27-2026-Audio-MP3. We discussed Washington State Ferries with WSF Deputy Director/Assistant Secretary John Vezina. There was a lot of talk about the “scary chart”, page 3 of the agenda, which illustrates the ferry service cliff coming up in the early 2030s if the State doesn’t fund more boats soon.
- IRTPO agenda: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter – docaccess-358ca9b45364d4b22c9497679f30d7b3. We continued our STBG Project programming discussion and received an update on the HSTP (Human Services Transportation Plan).
- Planning Commission and the Comprehensive Plan Update: The Planning Commission completed their stellar work on the Comp Plan this week. See Regular Session link above to view the approved documents that were sent to the Board of County Commissioners for our public hearing on June 23.
- Island Transit News: The Executive Board of Island Transit will meet next Friday, June 5 at 9:30 am. The agenda and zoom information will be published here: https://www.islandtransit.org/Agendas-and-Minutes.
- Island Senior Resources (ISR) is currently seeking dedicated volunteers to support essential services for older adults across Whidbey Island. They have immediate need for:
- Meals on Wheels drivers in Oak Harbor and Coupeville, as well as relief drivers for the South End.
- Medical Transportation drivers throughout Whidbey Island, with opportunities for both on-island and off-island trips.
- SHIBA (State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) volunteers to provide Medicare counseling and support.
- These roles make a direct and meaningful impact by helping seniors maintain independence, access nutritious meals, and navigate critical healthcare decisions. In addition to these priority roles, ISR offers a variety of other volunteer opportunities that may not be in response to direct needs but are still vital to the success of their programs.
- All volunteers are required to complete an application at https://tinyurl.com/isrvolunteerapplication, attend an orientation, and pass a background check before getting started. If you are interested in giving back to your community and supporting local seniors, ISR would love to hear from you at reception@islandseniorservices.org.
- Next Wednesday, June 3 begins the 2026 Waterfront Wednesdays Busker Series in Coupeville, sponsored by the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association, https://www.coupevillehistoricwaterfront.com/busker-series. Talented musicians will be performing at the Coupeville Wharf every Wednesday from 4 – 6 throughout the summer.
- Next Thursday, June 4 will be the start of the Harbor Hopper, a pedestrian ferry pilot program sponsored by the Port of South Whidbey in partnership with the Port of Everett. These boats will run two trips a day, two days a week, Thursdays and Saturdays, through the summer. I will be on the 11 am Thursday ferry from Langley to Everett, checking it out for myself. For tickets, go here: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/portofeverett/items/?flow=1349476&full-items=yes.
- I will be at the WiFire Community Space in Freeland on Monday, June 1 at 3 pm to meet with interested citizens.
Melanie
I am excited to attend the Oak Harbor Fire Station #82 Ribbon Cutting and Dedication Ceremony on Monday June 1.
“I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine.”
~ Kurt Vonnegut