Snohomish County, Washington sent this bulletin at 02/01/2018 04:47 PM PST
Dear North County Neighbors,
In this month’s newsletter I will be discussing my recent
visit to our state capitol in Olympia, County funding and projects in North
County, and some ways for you to get more involved in your government.
Trip to Olympia
On January 19th, I traveled to Olympia as part of
the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County’s Legislative Advocacy Day. I met
with many of the legislators representing Snohomish County to discuss our
priorities during this legislative session. One of the major accomplishments so
far this year was a solution to the Hirst decision and the passage of the Capital
Budget. The Hirst decision limited rural landowners’ ability to drill new wells
for their homes. This became a huge water rights debate and the legislature
finally passed legislation to provide reliable water rights to families and
businesses in rural Snohomish County. That being said, Skagit County was not included in this fix and I hope the legislature can continue to work to resolve these outstanding water rights issues. The Capital Budget was also passed with
significant investments in Snohomish County including $17 million for
behavioral health facilities to help address our mental health crisis. We also
asked the legislature to help fund our jail diversion center. The diversion
center will work with drug addicted and homeless individuals to put them on a
path toward treatment, recovery, and stable housing. I am optimistic about the program
and looking forward to partnering with the state on it.
County Funding
Snohomish County has many funding opportunities for projects
in North Snohomish County. On top of the money spend on road, park, and
infrastructure projects, we also have grant opportunities for various groups
and projects. In the next 6 years, we plan on spending $57 million on projects specifically
in North County. Parks projects are one of the most noticeable allocations of
our funds as millions of residents and visitors enjoy our parks every year. Our
6 year park improvement plan includes $26.2 million for projects in District 1
alone. This includes the SR 530 Mudslide Memorial. Parks staff has worked with
the victims, families, and communities up and down SR 530 to plan for and fund
a meaningful tribute to the Steelhead Drive and C-Post neighborhoods lost, the
first responders, and the community response following the slide. The County
also funds transportation projects to maintain and improve the over 1,600 miles
of county roads throughout Snohomish County.
One of my favorite funding opportunities for North County organizations and
projects is the Small Capital Project Partnership (SCPP) program. Through SCPP,
non-profits partner with local governmental agencies (cities, school districts,
etc.) to build or improve capital projects in their communities. Last year, the
City of Marysville partnered with the Marysville Dog Owner Group to receive
$5,000 to repair the fencing at the off-leash dog park in Marysville. We have
funds available again for similar partnerships and I look forward to seeing the
applications that come in this year. You can visit https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/49511
for more information about the SCPP program.
Making Your Voice
Heard
Per the County Charter, the Snohomish County Council is
required to hold an evening meeting in each of the 5 County Council districts.
This is a great opportunity for members of the public to come to one of our
meetings and have their voices heard. The meeting in District 1 will be held in
Arlington later this spring. I will be sure to share the details of the meeting
once they are finalized.
Another great opportunity to engage with your
representatives is the 39th Legislative District town hall meeting.
State Senator Keith Wagoner and State Representative Carolyn Eslick will be
hosting a town hall in Arlington at Hadley Hall on Saturday, February 17, from
4-6PM. The Senator and Representative will be giving an update on what they
have been working on in Olympia and take your questions. I encourage everyone
in the 39th LD to attend.
I will be sending out newsletters on a monthly basis to keep
you informed about what I am working on and how I am representing the residents
of North Snohomish County on the County Council. Please feel free to reach out
to me at 425-388-3494 or Nate.Nehring@snoco.org.
Sincerely,
Nate Nehring
Councilman, District 1
Snohomish County Council 3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609 Everett, Washington 98201 8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building Phone: 425-388-3494 E-Mail: Nate.Nehring@snoco.org