Island County approves resolution to close county offices to public during holiday weeks

The Board of Island County Commissioners on May 13, 2025, approved Resolution C33-25 to close county office doors to the public for the week that includes Christmas and the week that includes New Year’s Day, while keeping the county “open for business” by appointment and maintaining operations at facilities that must remain open.

Catherine Reed, human resources director, said the resolution covers closing county offices to the public for the weeks that include Dec. 25 and New Year’s Day, but exempts locations governed by other schedules such as the Law and Justice Building, juvenile detention and corrections. Reed said departments will post phone numbers so members of the public can request services such as licensing or marriage certificates, or make payments to the treasurer’s office. Reed described the plan as similar to procedures used during the COVID period, where the public could call, make appointments or be met at the door.

Reed told commissioners the measure is intended to give some employees “a period of time where they can catch up on some of the paperwork that kind of falls behind sometimes.” When a commissioner asked whether the resolution would typically produce one or two weeks of closure, Reed said “you'll get most of the time you'll get 2 weeks” because Christmas and New Year’s are usually a week apart; if the holidays fall on a weekend there may be a single holiday week.

A commissioner moved to approve the resolution, the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor; the meeting record shows the motion passed. The transcript records commissioner responses of “Aye” but does not attach individual recorded votes to commissioner names in the public portion of the transcript.

The resolution takes effect for the upcoming holiday weeks specified in the measure; departments are responsible for posting contact information and handling appointment requests as described by the human resources director.