Dear North County Neighbors,
I hope you and your family are well. Last month at the County Council, I was focused on new legislation, following the legislative session in Olympia, and a number of community group presentations. I also traveled to Washington D.C. on behalf of the County. Read more about these updates in this month’s newsletter.
Introduction of Facility Testing Ordinance
I recently introduced an ordinance to require regular testing of county-owned housing facilities for harmful chemicals and substances. Ordinance 24-011 is specifically intended to target the presence of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs within taxpayer-subsidized housing facilities.
I opposed the decision which was made by the county to purchase two hotels for conversion to no-barrier housing. Now that those facilities have been purchased and county government is moving into the role of a landlord for supportive housing facilities, I believe it is critical that we commit to providing safe and healthy spaces for tenants and staff. The presence of harmful residue from drug abuse can cause negative health impacts for those who come into contact with these chemicals.
By requiring annual testing of these facilities, we will have the ability to identify and address contamination issues sooner rather than later. As we have seen with multiple facilities throughout Snohomish County and the greater Puget Sound region, years of neglect can lead to costly decontamination and mitigation in addition to negative health impacts.
The ordinance has been scheduled for a public hearing and vote on March 20th at 10:30 AM. To learn more about the ordinance, follow this link. You can read the Herald’s coverage of the ordinance at this link.
Heatherwood Middle School Class Visit
Visiting classrooms and getting to speak with students about government is one of the best parts of my job as a County Councilmember. On Thursday, February 1st, Councilmember Mead and I visited Heatherwood Middle School and talked with students about county government.
The students were very engaged and provided great feedback on issues facing our communities and ideas on policy issues we are working on at the county. These opportunities to speak to youth in our community and hear their perspectives give me great hope for the future.
Assessor's Property Tax Comparison Tool
Property tax statements recently arrived in the mail. If you'd like to compare your 2024 taxes to previous years, the County Assessor's Office has a great online tool (linked here). This tool is useful in showing the magnitude of tax increases being imposed by various entities (school districts, fire districts, counties/cities, etc.) There is also a button to "Look at my Individual Tax Estimates" for using your individual parcel number.
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