Council schedules public hearing on parks & fair advisory ordinance and approves revised fee schedule with larger frequent-user discount

San Juan County Council set a public hearing for April 15 to consider proposed code changes affecting the Parks and Fair advisory bodies and adopted a revised parks and fairgrounds fee schedule with a higher frequent-user discount.

Brandon Andrews, county parks and fair director, described the proposed code amendments as largely administrative: standardizing advisory-board terms from six to three years, removing the mandatory annual joint meeting requirement between the parks and fair advisory bodies, updating dated job‑title language (county administrator → county manager), and cleaning language about appeals and fund handling. "The primary motivator was revisions about how the parks and recreation commission and the fair board operate," Andrews said. Council agreed to set the public hearing for 04/15/2025 at 9:15 a.m.

Andrews then presented a restructured fee schedule the department had developed with park managers, the fair board and the parks and recreation commission. He said the changes aim to simplify rates across events, reduce small duplicative fees, and treat similar uses consistently. Key changes cited by staff include a flat event fee framework (standard event $300; setup half-day = $150), removal of a commercial barge landing fee at Auburn County Park (citing marine transportation rules), clearer tent and vendor booth pricing, and moving the frequent-user discount (previously 15% for fairgrounds frequent users) to apply countywide.

Council members discussed tribal use and fee reductions for canoe journeys. Andrews told council the county handles tribal fee exemptions on a government‑to‑government basis: treaty rights are not subject to permits and fee exemptions for tribal governments are handled through government-to-government negotiations; private or cultural uses by individual tribal members are treated under the regular fee schedule. "If the Samish Nation or any affiliated tribes are working with us on a government to government basis for fee reduction, it is something that we do," Andrews said.

During debate, Council member Paulson proposed and the council accepted an amendment to set the frequent-user discount at 25% across all parks (up from 15% for fairgrounds). The council then approved the fee-schedule resolution as amended; staff said a final form will be routed through the county attorney's office for signature.

Andrews provided budget context: for the parks and fair department's 2025 adopted budget, 47% of funding is derived from department revenue; 20% from parks- and fair-specific levies; 8.5% from the general fund; 19% from lodging tax operating grants; and 3% from a WSDA grant. He told council the department aims to remain affordable compared with peer parks and to avoid picking winners and losers by exempting only through consistent policy or government-to-government agreements.

Council members praised staff for simplifying the schedule and agreed to the April 15 hearing on the advisory-body ordinance.