Members of the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee debated how to use a recent project-prioritization survey and whether staff should have authority to finalize funding choices if federal support changes.

Rebecca (MRC staff) walked the committee through the draft 2025-27 grant budget but told members the Edith's Hook debris project did not pass science-advisory review and would need alternate funding. She said the Elwha Stewardship Project was funded through another source and those funds were reallocated into administration and outreach. "The Edith's Hook Debris project was passed through," Rebecca said, and staff are pursuing other funding avenues.

Members repeatedly raised the Pinto abalone proposal, a relatively costly restoration and monitoring project that several MRC project leads urged the committee to protect. "The Pinto Abalone project...it's got a big price tag, but it's got far reaching benefits," Rebecca said, noting the species is the only native abalone in Washington and is functionally extinct. She said partners including the Puget Sound Restoration Fund and WDFW are contributing capacity and vessel support, which could reduce the MRC27s costs.

Several members said the prioritization survey results (10 responses) did not reflect staff workloads or the long-term benefits of a project like Pinto abalone restoration. Anne (committee member) proposed that staff use the survey results along with prior prioritization work as guidance and be authorized to make final adjustments if funding availability changes. "Staff should have had more of a say in this decision," she said. The committee did not formalize a binding motion that night but recorded consensus to give staff leeway to adjust priorities if federal funds were reduced.

Committee members also highlighted hidden staff costs: projects with small budget line items can require substantial staff time for planning, reporting and on-site work. Rebecca said the grant budget includes 0.5 FTE for a project coordinator, 0.5 FTE for an administrative specialist and 0.1 FTE of her time under task one, and noted up to 10% of total award funds can be moved among budget categories if needed.

Next steps: staff will use the survey and previous prioritization work as guidance and return to the committee if there are material funding changes; project leads were reminded to prepare required year-end reports by Sept. 30. The committee emphasized protecting the Pinto abalone proposal where feasible and seeking in-kind support from partners to reduce costs.