As always, our office is here as a resource to you. My office is committed to being responsive and helpful. If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at Megan.Dunn@snoco.org. You can also call my office at 425-388-3494. 

Be Well, 

Megan 

The Washington State Legislature wrapped up their 2022 session earlier this month and there were a number of bills and measures passed that will impact our county. Overall, the amount of state revenue increased by about $5B, which was more than expected and a reflection of the successes of governmental investments through the pandemic. There was a strong focus on pandemic recovery and resiliency, mental health support, and funding infrastructure projects across the state. Here’s a few highlights specific to our county: 

Transportation Bill 

This year the Washington State Legislature passed a 6-year $17B transportation package to fund projects across the state. The funding was allocated from the state’s new cap-and-trade program, federal funding, a one-time transfer from the state’s operating budget surplus, and step increases from various driver and vehicle licenses. Many projects identified include replacing bridges, railways, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects. Here’s a list of the ones here in District 2 and a few of the other ones across Snohomish County; we are grateful to the leaders that supported critical funding of our infrastructure: 

• Pedestrian overpass on Broadway and 10th. This overpass will connect the future Everett Community College Library which will be built on the east side of Broadway to the rest of campus on the west side of Broadway.  

• SR-525 Bridge Replacement in Mukilteo. 

• Improving the freight corridor on I-5/NB Marine View Drive to SR-529. 

• SR-99 BAT Lanes from 148th St SW to Airport Road in Everett. 

• Improvements to Community Transit Swift Bus corridors. 

• Funding towards the replacement of the US 2 Trestle. 

This incredible investment into multi-modal improvements across the state will make considerable steps towards increasing better mobility options. For more information on the transportation package bill and what’s included, please visit this page.  

Afghan Refugee Support 

Snohomish County has been operating a Welcome Center for Afghan Refugees for the past several months to help those families escaping the Taliban start a new life here in America. At the Welcoming Center, staff and volunteers work with refugees to connect them with housing, services, and necessities to help get them on their feet. Since January, our county has welcomed over 500 refugees. Because of the ongoing crisis, the State awarded $5.558M for Afghan Refugee resettlement efforts in our county.  

The State also included $12M for the Mental and Behavioral Health Center under development in Lynnwood. The facility will bring additional mental health and substance use disorder treatment to our community and the county. The county council had previously allocated $3M for this project and I am proud we could provide local support for a critical community benefit. More information can be found here.  

Darrington Wood Innovation Center 

This innovation center in Darrington is a collaborative effort between the non-profit Forterra, the Town of Darrington, and Snohomish County. A $1.7M allocation from the state will go towards the Darrington Wood Innovation Center to house a production facility that will make cross-laminated timber, or CLT. CLT is a great way to support the timber economy while prioritizing long-term forest health. I had a chance to tour the outdoor air temporary assembly factory at the Port of Everett in December with Mayor Dan Rankin (see pic below) and it's exciting to see this project moving forward. For more info, please visit this page. 

Snohomish County’s Comprehensive Plan serves as the guiding light for county decisions related to land use, transportation, parks, housing, capital facilities, and the natural environment. The plan is required by Washington State, and the Washington State Growth Management Act requires city and counties to periodically update their plan. Our next update must be approved by June 30, 2024, and this update will plan for the next 20 years of population and employment growth through 2044.  

The process to update the “Comp Plan” is comp-licated and takes years of input and review to ensure that we are adequately planning for growth in our county. One of the largest subject matters in the Comp Plan is land use and I’m grateful for my role on the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Growth Management Policy Board, of which I was recently selected as the Vice Chair. I look forward to utilizing this leadership role during the Comp Plan process to help inform a more regional perspective for growth in our County. 

Though much of the Comp Plan is reviewed and deliberated by staff and electeds on a number of levels, amendments to the Comp Plan can be initiated by the public through the “Docketing Process" and by councilmembers through a "council-initiated process." For the docketing process, applicants can submit projects for consideration once a year. The public can complete an application for review by our Planning and Development Services department, and after review, a recommendation is then forwarded to council for consideration. This week, the council will consider moving forward several council-initiated proposals, including expanding the urban growth boundaries, expanding broadband access and the urban tree canopy proposal I’ve been working on with the League of Women Voters.  

Another one of the council-initiated projects currently under review is for the 43rd Ave SE Improvement Project. The county is improving the roadway along 43rd Ave SE in the Bothell/Mill Creek area between SR 524 north to 188th Street SE. The neighbors in this area have concerns about increased traffic and safety for their neighborhood. I recently met with community members to tour the area and hear their concerns first hand. In order to meet the needs of area, protect Little Bear Creek and respond to the increased pressures from development, I’ve submitted a motion to further study moving this area into the urban growth boundary. 

On March 12, I was honored to join Councilmember Stephanie Wright, the Snohomish County Arts Commission, Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources staff, and artist Tsovinar Muradyan for the unveiling of the sculpture titled, “Hope Grows Where Light is Given.” The statue is located at Esperance Park in Edmonds and Esperance means “Hope” in French, which served as an inspiration for the piece. The county was able to acquire the art through the 1% For The Arts Funds and the Snohomish County Arts Commission selected this sculpture from a number of applicants. I am proud to have included an additional $10,000 in the 2022 budget to bolster our county’s public art projects and I look forward to seeing other pieces in our public spaces. Thank you to staff and the commission for their hard work, and an extra thank you to the artist for her vision. 

Here’s a few pictures from the event (Photo Credits to Vaghinak Petrosyan): 

I was honored to present two additional Health Champion Awards for the Snohomish Health District that I would like to share with you. The first award was for Jugos y Licuados Los Gavilanes in Everett. This fantastic little store is a juice bar and pastry shop. Because of their reputation as a clean and well-run shop, I was honored to present to them the Food Safety Award for Fast Food Establishments.  

I also presented Weinerschnitzel in Everett with the Food Safety Award for Full-Service Establishments. The restaurant has been a family affair run by brothers Daniel and Domenic and they took over ownership of the business from their mother a number of years ago. Both brothers are ServSafe certified and continually strive for excellence. They have cultivated a positive work experience and their employees have a strong foundation in food safety that they take into other aspects of their lives.   

Here are some pictures from the award presentations: 

Late last year, the outgoing Everett Community College President announced plans to close the college’s Early Learning Center (ELC), lay off the staff, and shift to a daycare setting operated by an outside partner. The ELC is vital to the advancement of not just early learning for children in our community, but it also provided career pathways for people who were interested in childcare and teaching. Many of the families whose children are at the Early Learning Center are below the poverty level and would potentially not have access to quality early learning without the ELC.  

The county acknowledges the importance that the ELC has in our community and council had previously allocated ongoing support through our allocation of the Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account (PSTAA) and after hearing about the budget shortfalls of the ELC offered an additional subsidy for support. This offer was not initially accepted and the college continued negotiating to close the ELC. 

The college recently hired Interim President Darrell L. Cain who met with county staff and the executive's office to re-review the offer and accepted it to help keep the ELC open for the 2022-2023 school year. The county and college will work together to plan ahead for future years and work towards a more stable budget. A huge shout out to the union and staff for making sure this community benefit was not lost! 

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. It’s important to me to keep you updated on my work at the County and updates from my district. If you are in need of any assistance or if there is any county information that I can help to provide, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at Megan.Dunn@snoco.org, or with my aide at Paula.Rhyne@snoco.org. You can call our office as well at 425-388-3494 to leave a message and we’ll return your call.  

Stay Well, 

Megan