Starting in late September, the county council has been reviewing and deliberating the 2024 county budget as proposed by Executive Somers. On November 8, the council unanimously passed the county’s operating budget for the upcoming 2024 fiscal year. Council had several amendments to the budget that was proposed by the county executive including the addition of a Victim Witness Advocate to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, ensuring that staffing with our Therapeutic Court system is funded through 2024, funding for the printing of Spanish language voter pamphlets and ballots, and specifying public outreach from our Parks Department focused on community concerns at Lord Hill Park.
This budget cycle I focused on public safety improvements by supporting the expansion of our county’s treatment court system and provided funding to remove barriers for people to access the Electronic Home Monitoring (EHM) program. As a co-lead of the Law and Justice Commission, I was proud to work with Councilmember Petersen and represent the work of the commission to bring better access to EHM for our county and cities. When a person is held under EHM, they are determined to not be a threat to the community but can still attend school or work and have a more balanced home life.
I also worked with the Executive to secure additional funding for the almost 6-mile trail connecting the City of Snohomish to Everett, from the Centennial Trail to Everett's Lowell neighborhood. I appreciated the efforts to find common ground on important issues with the Executive’s Office, other independently elected officials, and fellow Councilmembers.
During budget deliberations this year it was encouraging to hear the results from a budget initiative I championed last year to address gender inequities in homeownership records at the Assessor’s Office. A few years ago the Assessor’s Office moved to a new record keeping system for home ownership parcels, however, when data was transferred from the old system to the new, only the name of the first person listed on a deed was transferred. For many households, this meant that only the male partner’s name was now listed on the permanent record. After a constituent brought this to my attention, I included a staff person in the Assessor’s Office budget to sort through records and address this issue. During the presentation from the Assessor’s Office this year, they shared that the project to correct ownership records to include missing spouses has reviewed 6,639 of the 28,660 parcels identified as potentially needing updates and has completed 2,238 ownership updates.
The county has a “Budget Dashboard” which is a great tool for the public to use to show how their tax dollars are allocated. The numbers for the 2024 Adopted Budget will be uploaded in the coming weeks.
This month I joined representatives from the Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington businesses in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Airshow. The aerospace industry is critically important to Everett and our region, and I got to witness how our local industry integrates into the larger global economy and support local businesses at this important event.
The US delegation was honored to meet with Ambassador Martina Strong, who leads the U.S. Mission to the United Arab Emirates. She visited the US Partnership Pavilion and our Grow Washington booth. I was able to speak to her about the importance of aerospace to our region and over 150,000 workers!
I attended the sustainability track of the conference to learn more about sustainable aerospace fuels (SAF). State Senator Andy Billing also attended and gave on the keynote addresses on incentivizing SAF and how Washington State is leading efforts to increase supply of SAF. There were presentations on the mandate by the European Union, carbon pricing, meeting workforce demands; and we heard directly from Boeing, major airports and airlines, UAE and fuel manufacturers on their sustainability efforts. I met with delegates from other countries and businesses looking to open operations in the United States.
To better understand the culture of the Middle East, our delegation visited the Grand Mosque and World Expo and I even went up to the top of the tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, with a total height of 2,722 ft, or just over half a mile tall!
For more information on WA Commerce's "Choose Washington State - Where the Next Big Thing Begins" campaign, please visit their website.
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Delegates with Ambassador Martina Strong at the Choose Washington State Booth |
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With Ambassador Strong, Isabelle DeWulf, me and Rosemary Brester from Hobart Machined Products. |
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Earlier this month I coordinated the event space at the county campus for WorkSource Snohomish County to host a Healthcare Job Fair. I just got word that as a result of the fair, several employers are in the interview process with candidates and that one employer has already hired two of the attendees who will start after Thanksgiving. Here is a picture of myself with Lisa Olason who organized the event. Congrats to the employment matches!
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The Tulalip Tribes is seeking applications to fill one non-Tulalip Tribal member position for a 3-year term. The Planning Department’s mission is to provide the Tulalip community with the services necessary to achieve the Tribes’ vision for Reservation lands, protecting public health, safety, and general welfare while asserting tribal authority over the Reservation to include land use, and to prepare, update, and implement long-range plans. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, have resided within the exterior boundaries of the Tulalip Indian Reservation for the past year, not enrolled as a Tulalip Tribal member, and not presently employed by the Tulalip Tribes Planning Department. Commissioners are appointed by the Tulalip Board of Directors. Interested parties must submit a Letter of Interest and proof of residency to rtopaum@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov by 4:00 pm, December 1st, 2023.
The Puget Sound Partnership recently released its “State of the Sound” report which assesses the Puget Sound ecosystem. The report shows that our Sound is not thriving as well as we hope it would, and that climate change and other pressures are contributing to the slow recovery, and in some indicators, a decline. We all have a responsibility to protect the environment and support our local and global ecosystem and I hope you will join me in a commitment to be mindful of ways we can protect and restore the health of Puget Sound.
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In anticipation of storm season, Snohomish County PUD has made significant upgrades to its outage map to ensure customers have the most up-to-date information on outages and restoration efforts during a major storm event. Now when customers experience an outage they can sign up for outage text alerts from the PUD to stay updated on their specific outage. Customers can opt-in to text alerts through the PUD’s outage map and self-service phone system. To receive text alerts, report your outage on the PUD’s outage map and click the box to opt-in to outage text alerts. On the phone, call 425-783-1001 and opt-in to text alerts when you report your outage. More information can be found here.
Now is also a good time to check your emergency preparedness kit for power outages. They should be equipped with non-perishable food and water, flashlights, first-aid kit, battery powered lights, pet supplies and any medications you may need.
December 10th is the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In honor of the day, the Snohomish County Human Rights Commission is hosting a celebration on Saturday, December 9th, from 1 - 4 PM at the Snohomish County Campus. This year’s theme is "Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All" and the event will honor local and regional human rights advocates and organizations. All are welcome to join, and the event is free and open to the public.
Snohomish County is recruiting residents to serve on a Technical Advisory Committee to review applications for projects that benefit low-income individuals and neighborhoods in our community through affordable housing and community development programs.
Representatives from the following groups are needed:
• Two low-income individuals
• Two individuals living with disabilities
• Two individuals 62 years of age or older
Applications must be received by December 6, 2023.
It’s the most winter-ful time of the year and our region has more celebrations thaa few happening here in District 2:
City of Everett Wintertide Events
The City of Everett and local groups and businesses are hosting events through the end of the year to celebrate Wintertide. You and your family can enjoy making holiday ornaments, enjoying local choir performances, and even a 5K to celebrate the season. Check out the website for the full list of events.
Mukilteo Santa Cruise
Santa will be cruising through Mukilteo on a fire engine on Sunday, December 17th. The event is hosted by the Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce and more information on the routes and times will be posted in the upcoming weeks. Please keep an eye on the event page for more information.
Tulalip Events
The Tulalip Tribes is hosting “Lights & Ice” at Quil Ceda Village through January 15 to celebrate the season. The ongoing event hosts food vendors on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and an ice-skating rink is available for folks to drop in or host an event. You are also welcome to attend the Holiday Native Bazaar on December 8 and 9 from 9-5p at the Gathering Hall on Totem Beach Road. The event is free and open to the public and has native art, jewelry, drums, crafts, and food vendors.
Port of Everett Holiday on the Bay
The Port of Everett will be kicking off the holiday season with the Holiday on the Bay event on Saturday, December 2, from noon to 6p, culminating with the “Frozen Fountain” tree lighting at 5p. Events during the day include Touch-a-Truck, face painting, firepits and s’mores, and more. After the sun goes down, the Mukilteo Yacht Club is hosting a lighted boat parade along the marina. If you miss the merriment, Pacific Ice Community Ice Rink is down at the waterfront through January 8. Check out the list of events and restaurant specials here: https://www.portofeverett.com/visit_the_waterfront/holiday_on_the_bay.php
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