Recently, the Washington State Legislature closed their short session, lasting only 60 days. In that time, 340 bills passed the Legislature and are headed to the Governor's desk for signature. Below, I have included some budget and policy highlights that support Snohomish County's operations. Thank you to our advocates and Legislative team who made sure that Snohomish County needs were prioritized at the State Capitol this year!
- $625,000 for Snohomish County Human Services to contract with a nonprofit to support youth, parents, and families with school-based collaboration and social initiatives
- $1.5 million for the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative
- $1.2 million to OSPI for behavioral health supports for ESDs
- $3.7 million for Street Medicine Pilots, including $500,000 directed to the City of Everett
- $134,946 million for operation of 72 beds for civil conversion patients at the new Olympic Heritage behavioral health facility
- $2.7 million for multijurisdictional drug task forces
- $61 million for local housing programs & homelessness services
- $4.85 million for additional Corrections Officer Academy (COA) classes at the Criminal Justice Training Commission
- SB 6038 - 2023-24: Reducing the costs associated with providing childcare by expanding the business and occupation tax exemption for childcare providers
There is a lot of activity taking place in our corner of the county. I wanted to provide an update on some of the projects that constituents have been interested in within our district. Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns relating to these projects.
- Eastview Village - The Eastview Village project is a mixed-use phased development project located off of Cathcart Way in Unincorporated Snohomish County. The project is composed of eight parcels totaling 145 acres. The project is proposed to be developed in 12 phases with both commercial and residential uses.
- Current Phase:
- The application is under review with PDS' technical reviewers for compliance with:
- Land use, parking, landscaping, etc.
- Critical areas (wetlands, streams, etc.)
- Drainage and stormwater
- Traffic impacts, road, and frontage improvements
- Fire code
- Next Steps:
- PDS will conduct a second review of the application
- The applicant re-submits the application with information and materials requested by PDS
- A public hearing is conducted for the consolidated project
- Decision issued by the Hearing Examiner
- 228th Street Multi-Family Development - The application under review is for an eight-building apartment complex with 544 proposed units and 992 parking spaces. The project site is approximately 26 acres and was re-designated as Urban High Density Residential land use in 2005 and rezoned to Multiple Residential Zoning.
- Current Phase:
- The application is under review with PDS' technical reviewers for compliance with:
- Land use, zoning bulk regulations (setbacks, height limitations, lot coverage), parking, landscaping, etc.
- Critical areas (wetlands, streams, etc.)
- Drainage and stormwater
- Traffic impacts, road, and frontage improvements, connections, and traffic concurrency
- Fire code
- SEPA compliance
- Next Steps:
- PDS will complete its third review of the application
- Issuance of a SEPA threshold determination
- Decision issued
The 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update is well underway and there's a lot of information and resources available if you're interested in learning more about the process. For those who may not be aware, the Comprehensive Plan is a document that is used to guide Snohomish County planning and development decisions on a wide range of topics and services over a 20-year period. The Comprehensive Plan is also intended to reflect the vision and priorities of Snohomish County communities and residents while simultaneously meeting requirements of state and federal law.
Currently, the Snohomish County Planning and Development Services team is hosting regular Planning Commission meetings to evaluate proposed docket items that will go to Council for a recommendation to approve, deny, or modify. The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for April 23rd from 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM. I have included a Zoom link below for your reference.
The public is encouraged to provide written comments to the Council through email at Contact.Council@co.snohomish.wa.us, and oral comments can be provided during the County Council public hearings. I've included additional links below if you're interested in learning more about the process and upcoming events.
Teens from high schools around the county recently spent the day at the county campus and learned about the ways they can be involved in their local county government. Students were visiting as part of Civic Education Day, hosted by Councilmembers Jared Mead and Nate Nehring.
Civic Education Day is an annual event hosted by the Snohomish County Council which showcases different areas of Snohomish County government and gives teens a behind-the-scenes look at what public service is like. The day's events included presentations from County Council, the Sheriff's Office, Public Works, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Office of Public Defense, the Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and the Auditor's Office.
At each session, students were given the opportunity to ask the presenters questions about their role in county government. Every year, we are so impressed with how engaged and insightful the students are. We look forward to next year's event and meeting more students!
Snohomish County has many opportunities to get involved with community through local boards and commissions. Listed below are a few of the boards and commissions which have vacancies. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to use the contact information listed below and my office can follow up!
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Snohomish County Council
3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609
Everett, Washington 98201
8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building
Email: Jared.Mead@snoco.org
Angela Ewert, Legislative Aide
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