As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the County Executive presented his proposed budget to council in early September and we have been working hard to review the proposal. This year’s budget process is different as the county is now moving to a biennium budget process and we are reviewing a proposed budget for 2025-2026. Last week, each department presented their proposed budget to council and walked through justifications for various asks or increases. Because of budget constraints, departments were asked to find ways to reduce their maintenance and operations budgets to ensure a balanced budget. Â
If you have suggestions feedback on priorities that should be preserved or enhanced as council continues through budget discussions, I encourage you to email the full council at contact.council@snoco.org so we can all be aware. We plan to have a final vote on Wednesday, November 13.Â
A full house for a Budget Hearing meeting
Each year, I work hard to read through the proposed budget and carefully consider ways that we can fund priorities that are reflective of our values. During my first term, a constituent reached out to share that while she and her husband were working on planning their will and estate, she noticed that her name was not on the ownership records of the house, even though she and her husband had both bought the house decades before. I worked with Linda Hjelle, our County Assessor, and it was found that when the county shifted to a new software system, only the data field where the first person listed on a deed, often the husband in a married couple, was transferred to the new record. This system error left many people vulnerable because in the case of divorce or the the death of a spouse, one partner, often the female partner, would not be listed as an owner or have rights to the property. Â
In 2022, I included a budget amendment to add the staff needed to the Assessor’s Office to correct this error. Since then, the project to correct ownership records to include missing spouses has reviewed 11,663 of 28,660 parcels identified as potentially needing updates and has made 3,725 ownership corrections. I’m glad to know that this work will remove a big hurdle and legal nightmare on Elm Street for many people going through an already stressful time.Â
November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month and on November 14 at 6p Cocoon House in Everett will be hosting a Youth Homelessness Forum. The forum will be focused on school-aged youth homelessness and panelists will be sharing their lived experiences or their work to help address the unique needs of young people who are experiencing this situation. Attendees are welcome to ask questions and share ideas on how we can all make a difference. I will be the facilitator for this forum and am looking forward to an informative and inspiring event. For more information about the event, please visit: https://www.cocoonhouse.org/homelessness-forum. Reservations are requested, but not required. Â
A reminder that the general election is coming up on November 5, and in Washington State, voting couldn’t be any easier with mail-in voting. While there are accessible voting booths at the county campus, your ballot can be postmarked by November 5 or dropped off at a ballot box by 8pm on election day. With this year’s presidential election on the ballot, our county elections center is expecting a record turn out and voters are encouraged to send in their ballots as soon as possible to ensure that if there are any issues with your ballot that they can be addressed in a timely manner.Â
While this year’s ballot is a long one, please ensure that your vote is recorded for the Snohomish County Proposition 1 - the Public Safety Sales Tax. This proposed sales tax of two-tenths of one percent (about $0.02 for every $10 spent on a retail sale) would go towards new or expanded public safety programs in Snohomish County including:Â
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Hiring additional law enforcement officers, including deputies and park rangers. Â
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Providing needed resources to the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Office of Public Defense, and the Courts. Â
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Establishing and operating a secure withdrawal management facility. Â Â
- Opening a second resource center, similar to the Carnegie Resource Center in Everett.
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Expanding access to substance use treatment in the jail.
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And more.Â
Your vote is your voice. To register to vote, update your registration, or if you haven’t received your ballot yet, please visit the County’s Elections Page at: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/224/Elections-Voter-Registration. Â
Workforce Snohomish is hosting a free healthcare-focused job fair from 1:00-4:00 pm on October 23. The event will be held on the fourth floor of WorkSource Everett at 3201 Smith Ave in Everett. Twenty-three employers and education providers representing multiple healthcare fields will be on hand to promote and discuss career opportunities in the sector. The job fair is open to everyone, except Nurse Ratched, and attendees will discover clinical and non-clinical positions in nursing, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, allied health, administration, patient support, biomedical, facilities, and more. The event is free and registration is requested at: https://www.workforcesnohomish.org/healthcarejobfair/.Â
This year marks 25 years of the Snohomish County Therapeutic Court programs. The county’s recovery courts offer alternative pathways to justice for people who are affected by substance use disorder and involved with the criminal justice system. Recovery courts allow people to participate in treatment services as an alternative to incarceration. Since its inception, more than 2,000 people have participated in Adult Recovery Court, and 981 have fully completed the program. The program has had a lasting impact for graduates and for the community. Of the graduates who entered the program in 2018, 96% have not had a new felony conviction since. And for those who completed Adult Recovery Court in 2023, they’d achieved a combined total of 7,279 days of sobriety at the time of their graduation. I have been working on supporting our county’s recovery court system since my first term in office and have been specifically supporting efforts for a Veterans Treatment Court track to help justice-involved veterans access services needed to address their unique needs. I was honored to speak at the anniversary event and will continue to support these restorative justice efforts. Â
 With Judge Whitney Rivera, Sheriff Susanna Johnson, and Representative Lauren Davis at the Recovery Court Celebration
Public safety is always our Department of Conservation and Natural Resources top priority, and a recent inspection determined the west playground at Martha Lake Park had reached the end of its life-cycle standard and was removed for safety. The east playground remains open and both playgrounds are planned to be replaced with a new playground in the future along with other improvements. The Department has applied for a grant and if awarded, plans for a new playground will be started. I will provide more updates as they become available.Â
October is National Preparedness Month and the county’s Department of Emergency Management is well prepared in case of a natural disaster in our area. Please take the time to browse through the Snohomish County Hazard Viewer to identify hazards in your community, learn more about what hazards may put your home at risk, and how to prepare in the case of emergency. This map has interactive tabs for earthquakes, dam failures, wildfire hazards, tsunami hazards and more. In the event of any of these hazards, there may be some bridges and roads that fail so take a minute to plan your route to safety. Please note that these routes may be different in the case of a zombie apocalypse. The site also has helpful information about building an emergency or disaster kit. With the winter weather season coming up, now is a great time to double check your kits in case of power outages or other emergency situations. Stay safe out there!Â
With the upcoming election and the increase in social media use, misinformation is at an all-time high. In this digital age, it’s important that we all have the knowledge to identify misinformation and the tools to talk it through with others without conflict. Sno-Isle Libraries is hosting a free event to address this called, “Facts, Not Fighting: How to Talk About Misinformation.” The event will be online this Thursday, October 24, from 5:30-7p. Registration is required. Please click this link or the picture below for more information and to register. Â
On October 30, the Edgewater Bridge on the border of Mukilteo and Everett will close for approximately 12 months while it undergoes a complete replacement. The bridge is almost 80-years-old and has reached the end of its useful life. In the event of an earthquake, the bridge would likely fail which would strand the community in this area. Here is a link to the project page with more information and links to detour maps as well. Â
There are a number of skele-fun events coming up across the county to celebrate the season. Here are a few:Â
Port of Everett Haunted HarborÂ
The Port of Everett is hosting the first annual Haunted Harbor event at Everett’s Waterfront Place. The event kicks off at 3:30p with a Witches Paddle through the marina. Other events include trick-or-treating at some of the moored boats, creepy crafts, ghoulish games, and a frightful film. Here’s a link to the event page. The flyer is linked through the graphic below. Â
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A Haunted Mulching Volunteer Event
The Adopt A Stream Foundation is hosting a Haunted Mulching Event at Woods Creek in Al Borlin Park in Monroe. It’s this Saturday, October 26, from 9-noon. This event will help to finish excavating their mulch pile to support Woods Creek which is a known salmon stream. Volunteers in costume get the first choice of pitchforks! Â
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Downtown Everett Trick-Or-Treating
The Downtown Everett Association is hosting its annual Downtown Trick-Or-Treating event on Saturday, October 26, from noon-5p. Participating businesses downtown will have turquoise pumpkins out front and will be handing out goodies and other fang-tastic treats. Check out their page before the event for the map of participating businesses, and also swing by Wetmore Plaza to visit booths from community partners. Â
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Snohomish Conservation District Halloween Tree Planting
Last month I shared about the Snohomish Conservation District’s Urban and Community Forests Program and this Saturday they will be hosting a Halloween Tree Planting Event at Wiggums Hollow Park in Everett. Dead-icated volunteers can put on their best tree planting costume and help the Conservation District plant trees at Wiggums Hollow Park from 4-7p on the 26th. Hot cider, candy, and glow sticks available for all volunteers. For more information or to register, please click here. Â
The City of Mukilteo is hosting their annual Boo Bash on Sunday, October 27, from 2-5p at Rosehill Community Center. The event will have bouncy houses, trick or treating, balloon artists, face painting, and a spooky good time. They’ll also have some food trucks available including Dick’s, Tacos La Mas Fregona, Cascara Coffee, and free root beer floats from Diamond Knot. Bone-apetit!Â
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With Tyler Chism, Roelf Meyer, Cindy Gobel, and Mohammed Bhabha. At the event we heard the inspiring story of how Roelf and Mohammed were involved with the negotiations to end the Apartheid in South Africa as once political adversaries. |
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With Strom Peterson, Alicia Crank, Representative Rick Larsen, Mindy Woods, and Senator Cantwell at the ribbon cutting for the new Madrona Highlands Housing Hope project. Congrats! |
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