The big Commissioner news next week is: we will hold our public hearings on the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update on Tuesday, June 23^rd at 10 am, and continue it to Wednesday afternoon if we don’t get finished on Tuesday.

• The Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners was held on Tuesday, June 16, 2026; video recording here.
  • We heard public comment from seven individuals who want the Commissioners and Sheriff to fill the open Animal Control Officer position.
  • We held three franchise public hearings; all three were approved.
  • The agenda for the Tuesday June 23 meeting is here. On that agenda: the three public hearings shown below.
  • NOTE: two of those public hearings are for the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan that we’ve been working on for over two years. If necessary, that meeting will be continued to Wednesday afternoon, June 24 at 2 pm, using the same zoom link that we will use for the Tuesday Board meeting. To review the final comp plan and code changes being considered, click on the “Related Docs” tab on the agenda.
• Tentative Upcoming Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Public Hearings (held during board meetings, beginning at 10 am, unless otherwise noted):
  • Tuesday, June 23:        Establishing a Farm & Ag Committee (Assessor)
  • Tuesday, June 23:        Comp Plan Adoption
  • Tuesday, June 23:        Comp Plan Code Changes & Repeal of the moratorium in Mixed-Use LAMIRDs
  • Wednesday, June 24:   Comp Plan/Code Changes continued (if needed)
    – at 2 pm, using same Zoom link as Tuesday’s meeting
  • Tuesday, July 7:            Rockaway Park (franchise)       
  • Tuesday, July 7:            Wiedmann & Fuller (franchise)              

• The Board held Work Session on Wednesday June 17. The agenda for that meeting. Audio recording.
  • We began with our Budget department, talking about the 2026 Grant Cycle Awards for the Rural County Economic Development (RCED) funds. We will be funding four requests: (1) Parker Road Sewer/Storm Line extension for the Town of Coupeville; (2) Possession Point Dock Rehabilitation for the Port of South Whidbey; (3) Keystone Preserve Access (a left-turn lane on SR 525 and ADA access work) for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust through Island County Public Works; (4) Workforce Parking Expansion for WhidbeyHealth. Documents begin on page 3 of the agenda.
  • Public Health gave a presentation on the 2026 Chum Run which will be held on July 3 at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor. The Chum Run is a fundraiser for the Island County Healthy Island Youth Initiative (HIYI). See pp 67-68 in the agenda; mark 1:25:51 in the recording.
  • The next Work Session will be held on Wednesday, July 8. The agenda for this meeting will be posted by Thursday July 2 here.
• The Council of Governments (COG) and Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization (IRTPO) will meet next Wednesday, June 24 beginning at 9 am. Both meetings use the same zoom link, which can be found in the agendas.
  • COG agenda (9 am). On that agenda: Sno-Isle Libraries Programs and Services Presentation; Oak Harbor Creative Arts Foundation Presentation; Island County Jail Presentation.
  • IRTPO agenda (10 am). On that agenda: STBG Project Programming; HSTP consultant; Regional Transportation Improvement Plan Update.
• The November general election ballot will include an advisory vote for the County Commissioners regarding consumer fireworks. What the Commissioners will ask voters is: should the Island County Board of Commissioners amend Island County Code Section 9.08A – Fireworks to ban the use of consumer fireworks in Unincorporated Island County? This will be an advisory yes/no vote only—the Commissioners want to know how you feel before we decide whether or not to take any further action on fireworks. I plan to include Pro and Con statements in the Voters Pamphlet, which means I need to form a committee of 1 – 3 registered voters to write the Con statement (a committee has already volunteered to write the Pro statement). These statements are limited to 200 words, and I will provide the committee with template and submittal information. If you are opposed to banning fireworks and are interested in serving on the Con committee, email me at district1@islandcountywa.gov.
• Island Transit news: https://www.islandtransit.org/
• Island Senior Resources news: https://senior-resources.org/.
  • ISR is asking the Island County community at large to help shape the future of their services and contribute to ISR’s path to 2031. Please complete this survey to share your vision for senior services.
• I will be meeting with interested citizens on Monday, June 22  at 3 pm at the WiFire Community Space in Freeland. I will NOT be meeting with the public on the following two Mondays—I will miss June 29 and July 6. On Monday, July 13, District 3 Commissioner candidate Satin Arnett will join me at the Freeland Hall at 3 pm to meet with interested citizens. And on Monday, July 20, District 3 Commissioner candidate Matt Van Pelt will join me, also at the Freeland Hall at 3 pm.

Melanie

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”~ E.E. Cummings

Island County Candidate Forum

July 7, 2026

Clinton Community Hall               

6411 Central Ave Clinton 98236

  6:30PM to 8:30PM

Doors open at 6:00PM 

Candidates Participating in this Forum:

Legislative District 10 State Representative

Position 1:

Position 2:

Dave Paul (I) (Democrat) Tim Hazelo (Republican) Carrie R. Kennedy (Republican)

County Auditor:

Sheilah Crider (I) (Independent) Andrea Downs (Democrat) Terry Lacey (No Party Preference)

Island County Candidate Forum

July 14, 2026

Clinton Community Hall               

6411 Central Ave Clinton 98236

  6:30PM to 8:30PM

Doors open at 6:00PM 

Candidates Participating in this Forum:

County Assessor:

Kelly Mauck (I) (No Party Preference) Doug Stults (Democrat)

County Sheriff:

Rick Felici (I) (Independent) Tavier Wasser (Democrat)

County Clerk:

Toni Adams (Republican) Dierdre Butler (Democrat) Maria Hazelo (Republican) Amber Sewell (Democrat)

The Island County Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 10:00 am to receive testimony on the Island County Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations. This hearing is being held as part of the legislative action to complete the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update. Following the public testimony, the Board will deliberate and may adopt the comprehensive plan. The Board will consider an amendment suggested by the Planning Commission to the final documents before adoption.

Testimony can be given in person at the BOCC Hearing Room in Coupeville or via Zoom. Please visit the Agenda Center the week prior to the meeting to find the Zoom link and physical address (located in the meeting agenda). If additional public hearing dates are needed, the Board may continue the public hearing to a date certain.

Located on Camano Island? Space will be available for the public to give testimony via Zoom at the Camano Annex Building. When you arrive at the Camano Annex, please go to the Planning Counter and let them know that you are there for the Board of County Commissioners meeting. 

Comments may be submitted via email to CommentBOCC@islandcountywa.gov prior to the meeting; however, please note that emailed comments will not be read aloud during the public hearing.

Final documents are available on our website: www.islandcountywa.gov/209/Comprehensive-Plan. Questions about the Comprehensive Plan should be directed to compplan@islandcountywa.gov.

https://www.islandcountywa.gov/209/Comprehensive-Plan

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.
  • There was no public comment this week.
  • We held two sewer franchise public hearings; both franchises were approved.
  • The agenda for the Tuesday May 12 meeting is here:  https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/0a0802e4-30c2-4397-b3ee-a491e150d9e4. On that agenda: the two franchise 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 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 Transit Executive Director Melinda Adams was featured in the People Forward Leadership Podcast, where she spoke about Driving Culture Change: Trust, Growth, and the Power of People:  https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com/podcasts/the-people-forward-leadership-podcast/episodes/2149094287.
• Island Senior Resources news: https://senior-resources.org/.
  • Benefit Dinner and Auction, Sunday May 31, Whidbey Golf Club, 2430 Fairway Ln, Oak Harbor, WA 98277. For more information: https://senior-resources.org/benefit-events-2026/.
  • Golf Tournament, Monday, June 1, Whidbey Golf Club, 2430 Fairway Ln, Oak Harbor, WA 98277. For more information: https://senior-resources.org/benefit-events-2026/.
  • Island Senior Resources is actively recruiting for a full-time Executive Director. You can find details on the position here: https://www.facebook.com/prothmanco or here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prothmanco.
• 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