Councilmember Nehring's February Newsletter

Snohomish County, Washington sent this bulletin at 02/01/2022 02:20 PM PST

Dear North County Neighbors,

I hope you had a great start to the new year. We have hit the ground running and are continuing our work on a number of projects and issues facing North Snohomish County. In this month’s newsletter, I will be highlighting the retirement of Shawn Yanity, an update on our broadband work, our legislative briefing, presentations to community groups, the new Holman Recovery Center, and roads projects in north county.

Shawn Yanity Retirement

Shawn Yanity has been a dedicated public servant for the past few decades. At the end of last year, Shawn retired as Chairman of the Stillaguamish Tribe. In honor of his service, the Snohomish County Council adopted resolution 21-054 to recognize his contributions to Snohomish County and our region.

Shawn worked hard to build bridges between local governments and the Stillaguamish Tribe and nurtured important relationships with community organizations. Under his leadership, the Tribe made significant investments in our community supporting local organizations including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, Snohomish County shelter for women, and many of our local food banks.

In The News

Yanity recognized for decades of service as Stillaguamish leader - North County Outlook, Jan. 11, 2022

Concerns about the recently approved sales tax increase - North County Outlook, Jan. 11, 2022

Snohomish County awarded $16.7M grant to expand broadband access - Lynnwood Times, Jan. 19, 2022

$16M grant to speed up broadband to north Snohomish County - Everett Herald, Jan. 25, 2022

It has been a pleasure to work with Shawn and I was thankful to be able to sponsor the resolution and present it to him. Best wishes to Shawn in his retirement!

Broadband Update

Last month, we received exciting news on our Broadband Action Team’s (BAT) efforts to expand internet access in Snohomish County. The County was awarded $16.7 million in funding to partner with Ziply Fiber to extend fiber connectivity along the SR 530 corridor between Arlington and Darrington.

This investment will help bring reliable, high-speed internet access to over 5,500 residents and businesses in North Snohomish County. This effort was supported by the Snohomish County BAT which is made up of community stakeholders from local government, schools, internet service providers, businesses, and other community organizations.

This is the largest broadband investment we have received from the Washington State Broadband Office and we are excited to partner with Ziply on this project. Howard Zeitz, CEO of Ziply said “We know from experience that the combination of an incumbent provider, public and private funds, and supportive state and local officials leads to fiber deployments that have greater reach in less time. Ziply Fiber can’t wait for more Snohomish County residents to experience the speed and reliability of fiber internet.”

On January 6th, I joined a roundtable hosted by Congressman Rick Larsen to talk about broadband expansion efforts. I highlighted the SR 530 expansion project and the partnerships we are creating between public and private sector partners in this effort. I appreciate all of the community leaders who joined the roundtable and their commitment to bringing reliable, high-speed internet to more residents and businesses across the county.

Snohomish County Legislative Briefing

On January 7th, the County Council and Executive hosted our state legislative delegation for a briefing on our County legislative priorities for the 2022 legislative session. Snohomish County is currently represented by 7 state legislative districts, each with one senator and two representatives. It is important that we work with our legislators to advance legislation and investments important to our shared constituents.

This year, Snohomish County’s legislative agenda focuses on four main areas:

Invest in behavioral health and substance abuse treatment
- We are asking the legislature to make more resources available to treat residents struggling with behavioral health and addiction issues. We are also asking for support of current local efforts to address this.

Support workforce development
- We continue to advocate for workforce development programs and efforts like the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) Program to ensure that our future workforce meets the needs of our region.

Law and justice
- We are asking the state to support our efforts to add two superior court judges to meet the demands of our growing population on our justice system. We are also asking for assistance to address the Blake Supreme Court decision last year regarding drug offenses.

Transportation and infrastructure
- There is a long list of transportation projects we are requesting to address our already strained transportation system.

Snohomish County Update Presentations

Last month, I had the opportunity to join three community groups to share an update on what is going on at Snohomish County and some of our priorities for the year. On January 12th, I joined the Marysville Rotary at their monthly meeting. On January 13th, I presented to the Stanwood Chamber of Commerce and on January 19th, I spoke to the Stanwood Rotary group.

At these updates, I was able to share the status of COVID-19 in Snohomish County, our 2022 County budget, economic development efforts throughout our area, the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) Program, transportation projects, broadband expansion efforts, our regional collaboration with the SWISS counties, affordable housing issues, and public safety.

These presentations are great opportunities for me to share updates with the community and hear from community members about their priorities and concerns. If you have a group that would be interested in one of these updates either virtually or in-person, please contact my office at Nate.Nehring@snoco.org.

Holman Recovery Center Ribbon Cutting

On January 27th, I joined State Senator Keith Wagoner and Founder/Executive Director Edmund Smith for the ribbon cutting and tour of the new Holman Recovery Center in Smokey Point. The Center can house 36 clients and will provide inpatient drug and alcohol treatment services.

There is an abundance of need for services like this as we continue to struggle with an epidemic of homelessness and addiction throughout our communities. I appreciate the effort that went into this important facility and am thankful for the lives that will be changed with this critical service in North Snohomish County.

2022 Investments in North Snohomish County

Over the next few newsletters, I will be highlighting some of the investments we are making in 2022 to improve roads and parks in North Snohomish County.

Snohomish County Public Works is responsible for 1,650 miles of roadway and 200 bridges across the county. The county levies a property tax dedicated to county roads. For residents living in unincorporated county, this is approximately 6 cents for every dollar of property taxes you pay. The county leverages the roads levy funds to match grants from outside agencies including the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Puget Sound Regional Council.

In 2022, the County will invest just over $3.1 million towards roads projects in North County. Here are the projects included in the 2022 Snohomish County budget for District 1:

SR 530/Smokey Point Blvd. roundabout - $350,000
Pioneer Highway Road Preservation - $62,000
Goodman Creek Culvert Repair - $150,000
Nick Road Flood Repair - $341,000
84th St/163rd Ave Intersection Improvements - $172,000
84t St/123rd Intersection Improvements - $140,000
88th St Capacity Improvements - $400,000
67th/152nd Intersection Improvements - $140,000
Jordan Bridge replacement - $365,000
Red Bridge (Mt. Loop Hwy) Preventative Maintenance - $150,000
Madden Bridge Rehabilitation - $727,000
220th St NW Culvert Replacement - $164,000

Many of these projects are multi-year projects and the initial investments this year include engineering, design, and right-of-way acquisition. If you have any questions about these or other projects, please feel free to reach out to my office.

Monthly Survey

In this month's survey, I would like to hear from you regarding content you find valuable in my newsletters or information you would like included. Take this short, one-question survey (linked here) and share your thoughts.

I send out monthly newsletters to keep you informed about what I am working on and how I am representing North Snohomish County on the County Council. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate in reaching out to me at Nate.Nehring@snoco.org or 425-512-4810.

Sincerely,

Nate Nehring

Snohomish County Council

3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609
Everett, Washington 98201

8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building
Phone: 425-512-4810
E-Mail: Nate.Nehring@snoco.org

Russell Wiita, Legislative Aide