Councilman Nehring's July Newsletter

Dear North County Neighbors,

As we approach the 4th of July holiday, I hope you all enjoy your time with family and friends as we celebrate our nation’s independence and the freedoms that so many have fought and died to protect. In this month’s newsletter I will share some exciting happenings in North Snohomish County including our Refill Snohomish County initiative, the Master Builders’ Crab Feed, the Evergreen Boys State Civics Conference, and forward progress on the Cascade Industrial Center.

On June 4th, I was joined by a large group of stakeholders from local Chambers of Commerce, community groups, school districts, and local governments to gauge interest in a Refill Snohomish County initiative. Refill Snohomish County is modeled after a program in the UK which advertises businesses and other public locations that will fill reusable water bottles for the public. In implementing the program, participating locations would post a decal on the front of their building to let passersby know that they will refill their bottles. We are also looking into an app or online resources to identify participating locations. The program provides public health, economic, and environmental benefits and is completely voluntary. We received positive feedback from stakeholders at the meeting and I look forward to working with these leaders to move this program forward and implement it in Snohomish County.

As you know, I continually look for ways to address our housing affordability crisis in Snohomish County. I have supported policies to reduce the regulatory burdens which can add up to 25% to the cost of a home. I had the privilege of sharing some of this work at the Master Builders Association’s Annual Crab Feed event on June 13th. At the event, I shared our work on reducing certain regulations and expediting permitting processes to save time and money in addressing the housing shortfall we are currently experiencing in our region. I appreciate the MBA for the opportunity to speak and share just a few of the things that we are doing at the Snohomish County Council to address housing affordability.

On June 18th, I was invited to speak to the 2019 Evergreen Boys State Civics Conference. Evergreen Boys State is the Washington chapter of the national American Legion Boys State program. Through the program, high school students have the opportunity to attend a week-long conference learning about and participating in simulations of local and state government. This year’s conference was held at Warm Beach Conference Center near Stanwood. I spoke to the group about Snohomish County government and my role on the Snohomish County Council. I was impressed by the level of interest and engagement from the students I spoke to and the depth of their questions. These students have bright futures ahead of them and I am grateful for the Evergreen Boys State program and the opportunities it creates for high school students in our state.

Last week, I participated in a press call announcing the regional center designation of the Cascade Industrial Center (CIC). The CIC (formerly known as the Arlington Marysville Manufacturing Industrial Center) was officially designated as a regional manufacturing/industrial center by the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Executive Board on June 27th. The designation declares the center as an area of job creation importance for the region and puts Arlington and Marysville on the map for manufacturing and industrial companies and investors looking to move to the region. It also qualifies the area in the two cities for significant federal funding to complete important transportation infrastructure projects. More family wage jobs in North Snohomish County creates more opportunities for workers and young people in our communities to work closer to where they live which reduces traffic congestion and creates more time at home with family.

At the press call event, I joined Mayors Tolbert and Nehring (of Arlington and Marysville, respectively), Executive Somers, representatives from the business community and Greater Seattle Partners to highlight the designation by PSRC and showcase the Cascade Industrial Center to potential investors. This was the first step in a series of marketing ventures for the CIC. Moving forward, we will continue to work with the cities and Greater Seattle Partners to reach out to businesses and investors to bring more family wage jobs to North Snohomish County.

I send 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   Russell Wiita, Legislative Aide