Meeting Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 7:30am by President Kevin Hoult. State Rep. Mike Chapman led the flag salute.

Minutes:

Jack Glaubert moved and Cherie Kidd seconded acceptance of the PABA meet minutes from July 25, 2017. Motion carried.

Announcements:

Guests introduced themselves and several announcements were made from the floor of upcoming community events.  Attendance at the meeting: 47 people.

Program

State Representative Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, reviewed this year’s state legislative session and its impacts on Clallam County. Throughout his talk, Chapman stressed that lawmakers in Olympia on both sides of the aisle typically work together on bills. He listed about two dozen bills that passed this year with 70 0r more votes. “If I have one message this morning, it’s that bipartisanship is alive and well in Olympia,” he said. “If you’re not wiling to work across the aisle, nothing gets to the governor’s desk.”

Chapman said he always tries to find a Republican who can co-sponsor his bills. But Chapman is upset that the state Senate has held up the State Capital Budget. The State House passed the $4.2 billion capital budget on a bipartisan 92-1 vote on July 1. Chapman said he doesn’t understand why the State Senate is allowing a policy decision – a recent Supreme Court ruling known as the Hirst decison – to hold up the capital budget. “One body, the Senate, is holding it up,” he said, adding that’s it the Senate, not a party, that’s holding it up. “There’s a better way to do business.”  The State Supreme Court ruled in October, in what has been called the Hirst decision, that Whatcom County failed to protect water resources by allowing new wells to reduce flow in streams for fish and other uses. The court said counties must ensure water is available before they issue building permits in certain areas. The decision doesn’t affect the North Olympic Peninsula. For instance, water rights in much of Clallam County are already governed by the Dungeness Water Rule, which allows the exchange of water rights and provides programs to preserve the important resource. For the Peninsula, projects in the House version of the capital budget that are being held up are:

• $615,000 to replace the main intake at the Dungeness Hatchery
• $2.9 million for World War I facilities preservation at Fort Flagler. And, $697,000 for repair or replacement of the pier at Fort Warden State Park.
• $1 million for the Jefferson Healthcare Dental Clinic. And $610,000 for the North Olympic Healthcare Network in Port Angeles.
• $649,000 for the Spruce Railroad Trail and Daley Rankin Tunnel restoration. And $1 million for the Port Angeles unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula.
• $3.40 million for a Chimacum Ridge Forest pilot project.
• $3 million and $1.8 million for fish passage barrier removals along Johnson Creek and an unnamed tributary, both in the Hoko Watershed in western Clallam County.
• $225,000 for Captain Joseph House

Chapman’s presentation was covered by Jesse Major at the Peninsula Daily News. The PDN story: State representative discusses capital budget holdup.

The meeting was extended 15 minutes after members present approved a motion by VP Matthew Rainwater, seconded by Andrew May.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45am.