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County Commissioner Melanie Bacon’s Weekly Newsletter

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 20th week of 2026.

The big public hearing for the Planning Commission on the Comprehensive Plan begins next Wednesday, May 20 (see details below). I learned this week that there are over 12,000 subscribers to the Planning Commission’s newsletter. If you are interested in subscribing to that or any other newsletter or notice published by the County, go here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/list.aspx.

Monday May 25 will be Memorial Day. Most County offices will be closed.

  • The Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners was held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026; video recording here: https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/0a0802e4-30c2-4397-b3ee-a491e150d9e4.
    • There was no general public comment offered this week.
    • We held a public hearing on bundling curbside recycling services with our regular solid waste disposal contract. Andrew Riggs of Island Disposal brought an informative presentation; this discussion and presentation can be seen beginning at mark 00:13:40 in the video recording. There were two public comments, one in opposition and one in favor. The Board voted 2 – 1 to amend our code to include bundling curbside recycling with household garbage collection on Whidbey; this will mean a monthly increase of $6.50 – $7 to Whidbey citizens’ bills from Island Disposal. We chose the bundling option over elective curbside recycling to keep the cost down—a recent survey showed that citizens would not be interested in curbside recycling if it added more than $10 per month to their bill, and an elective program would cost more than that. The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of citizens want curbside recycling. Citizens affected by this decision include those living in rural Whidbey and in Langley.
    • The agenda for the Tuesday May 19 meeting is here:  https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/993f4b44-e3fc-44d8-8c95-08f26522dce8. On that agenda: the two 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, 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 13 Work Session is here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05132026-1170; the recording is here: islandcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14714/05132026-WS-Audio.
    • Long Range Planning brought a discussion on the final drafts of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations, mark 0:09:57 in the recording.
    • We had a long discussion on our Budget process and positions held for further consideration. Summary: things aren’t yet as dire as we were anticipating for 2026, but we are concerned about 2027. We are instructing departments to not request new positions or new programs next year. Mark 0:54:30 in the recording.
    • The agenda for the Wednesday May 20 Work Session is here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05202026-1174. On that agenda: Columbia Policy Advisors will present an update on the recent Washington Legislative Session; we’ll discuss the funding amount for the 2027 2% Hotel-Motel Lodging Tax Grant cycle (the amount we’ll make available for LTAC grants); proposed 6-years draft TIP and CWU plan; discussion/review of draft 2027-2032 Capital Improvement Plan spreadsheet; presentations for 2026 Rural County Economic Development Grant funds for public projects; discussion of 2026 Budget Amendments as requested by Departments; Conservation Futures Fund (CFP) Project Applications – Citizens Advisory Board Recommendations.
  • The Port of South Whidbey is excited to sponsor a seasonal “Harbor Hopper” foot ferry offering two Everett and two Langley trip options on Thursdays and Saturdays June 4 – August 29 aboard the Hat Island Ferry. The South Whidbey Record has a nice story about this: https://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/2026/05/12/passenger-only-ferry-to-connect-langley-everett/.
  • On Monday May 18 I will meet with interested citizens at the WiFire Community Space in Freeland at 3 pm and at the Clinton Community Hall at 5 pm. I will not meet on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25.

Melanie

Today is National Endangered Species Day.

“The only way to save a rhinoceros is to save the environment in which it lives, because there’s a mutual dependency between it and millions of other species of both animals and plants.”                    ~ David Attenborough