The 2024 general election is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5th. If you haven’t voted yet, there are voting booths located on the Snohomish County Campus. If using a county ballot drop box, make sure that your ballot envelope is returned before 8:00 PM on Election Day, I’ve included a list of ballot drop box locations here. If you are eligible to vote in Washington State, you can register to vote or make changes to your registration information until 8:00 PM on Election day and still vote in the election. Online and mail-in registration for all elections closes eight days before Election Day, so you must visit a same-day registration location to register and receive a ballot. You can also vote in -person for same-day voting, I’ve included a list of locations here. Once you’ve submitted your ballot, you can track your ballot using this link.
As mentioned in previous newsletters, the Snohomish County Council is now underway with budget deliberations for the upcoming 2025-2026 biennium budget. This is the first budget in Snohomish County history that will cover two years, with an opportunity to make minor revisions in 2025. A biennial budget allows the county to be more strategic in planning for our future. Stay tuned for updates as the council works across departments to serve the constituents of Snohomish County.
Veteran’s Day is just around the corner and it marks a special day to honor all those who currently serve and who have served in the United States military. According to the Census Bureau, in 2021 there were 16.5 million veterans living in the United States. On Veterans Day, be sure to thank a veteran for their service and check out one of the local events around the county that will honor veterans in our community.
I’m sure many of my constituents reading this newsletter are aware, but in case you haven’t been informed, a new roundabout has been installed at the Larch Way/Logan Road and Locust way intersection. For those who live in this area, this is a major improvement to the flow of traffic in an area that is historically congested. The intersection was previously controlled by a four-way stop sign and experienced extensive backups during peak commute times. I want to thank the community for their patience while the intersection was closed for nearly 10 weeks, and I also want to thank the Public Works team for their diligence in bringing this project over the finish line and serving a community that experiences high volumes of traffic. This is a great example of communities and government working together to better our communities. You can watch a video on this project here.
Raising Hands is an annual event hosted by The Tulalip Tribes Tulalip Cares to honor recipient charities in different community impact categories. The Raising Hands event honors charities that provide services in the following areas: arts and culture, education and youth, environment, health care, public safety, social services, among others. The Tulalip Tribe has donated over $69.5 million to more than 245 charitable organizations since 1993. It is truly such an honor to be invited to this event and I want to thank members of the Tulalip Tribe for their work in our community.
This month, I was able to attend the soft opening event for the newest regional law enforcement training center in Arlington. The training center, which is set to officially open in February 2025, is the third training center to open in Washington within the last two years. The center will provide basic law enforcement training for those seeking careers in law enforcement. Individuals seeking a career in law enforcement are now able to start their training immediately whereas previously, those pursuing a career in law enforcement waited nearly 18 months for training. I am excited for the center to open so we can start training officers to keep our streets safe by serving our communities.
Last week I was able to tour a constituent neighborhood to talk about the Comprehensive Plan and listen to their concerns and ideas relating to growth in their community. I am always grateful for constituents who invite me to come visit their neighborhoods and share their feedback about work the county is doing.
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