Assessment heads to commissioners

This week, the Board of Island County Commissioners will receive an assessment proposal from the Whidbey Island and Snohomish conservation districts.

Conservation districts, non-regulatory state agencies, were formed to address the need for resource conservation, said Bobbi Lindemulder, acting district manager of Snohomish Conservation District. Historically, conservation districts have focused on agriculture, but as needs have changed, so has the districts' focus.

The district works on low impact development, natural resource planning such as farm planning, preservation of sustainable farms and forestland and public outreach.

In the state, 13 districts already have assessments, and the Snohomish Conservation District is the largest one without an assessment, Lindemulder said.

The assessment is not a tax. Taxes are based on a percentage of assessed value, whereas the assessment would be a flat parcel and per acre fee, Lindemulder said. The $5 per parcel plus .05 cents per acre fee, if passed, would be in place for 10 years.

The Island County commissioners hold the final vote on the assessment proposal. The districts must have the request turned in by Aug. 1.

Although the commissioners hadn't received the proposal yet, the assessment is on their radar, said John Dean, Island County commissioner, at a public meeting last Monday.

The county will need to hold two meetings on Whidbey and one on Camano, Dean said.

For the assessment to go into effect, it must be approved by the end of December. Otherwise, the districts will have to start at the beginning of the application process.

In Island County, the assessment is expected to bring in $242,676. About 24 percent of that, or $57,649, will come from Camano Island residents, and go toward service on Camano Island, Lindemulder said.

The district has never had even that much money to work with on the island before, Lindemulder said.

"It's been so hit and miss because of lack of funding," she said.

The funds from the assessment would aid the district in securing other dollars for work on Camano Island, Lindemulder said.

In addition to having a full-time staff member dedicated to Camano Island, the district would like to station someone on the island two to three days a week, she said.

The district also hopes to implement a Firewise program on Camano Island. The program educates people on wildfire protection.

Levon Yengoyan, assistant fire chief for Camano Island Fire and Rescue, said he sees a need for the program on Camano Island.

The department is concerned that it could be a particularly bad year for brush fires, he said. The program helps educate landowners on fire danger and how to protect their property.

Yengoyan also has received the district's help in the past with his horse farm. Since there wasn't much funding at the time for the island, the district provided him with advice rather than going through a farm plan.

Some of the advice included pasture management, manure and mud management, and ways to deal with storm water runoff.

The Camano Backyard Habitat Project has worked closely with the district, said Jean Bach, of Camano Island, a member of the group. The district has provided experts for workshops and training.

Bach said she hopes the commissioners will approve the districts' funding request.

If the county's new critical areas act goes into effect, the assessment funding will be needed so the district can help landowners who need farm plans to come into compliance, Lindemulder said.

Without it, helping Camano Island residents with the required farm plans would be difficult, she said. A farm plan costs the district $3,000 to $4,000 to produce.

However, landowners who work with the district receive the farm planning services for free, Lindemulder said.

Jean Bach's husband, Larry Bach said he supports the district's assessment request in Island County. As more people and livestock move to the island, resource issues develop or worsen, he said.

Currently, the district has its attention split between Camano Island and Snohomish County and the island doesn't provide any funding to the district.

"We need to make a contribution," he said.

Staff Reporter Kristi Pihl: 629-8066 ext. 125 or kpihl@scnews.com.