Island County commissioners continue sewer-franchise hearing, add executive session and approve consent agenda

The Board of Island County Commissioners on Feb. 4 continued a public hearing on a franchise transfer for a private sewer collection system, approved the consent agenda and added an executive session to discuss applicant qualifications under state law.

County staff asked to continue a public hearing on a requested transfer of a sewer-collection franchise filed by Louis Sacow, Yawapa Throntham and the David Wood Living Trust, saying staff needs more time to review terms for testing sewer and water systems within the county right-of-way. Ed (staff engineer) told commissioners the collection system runs about 1,700 feet in the county right-of-way and that the franchise terms still need to be resolved.

Commissioners were told there are about four hearings already calendared at the same stage that staff expects to continue to an uncertain future date; staff said there is a larger backlog of more than a dozen franchise matters not yet at that hearing stage. Because the public hearing was not formally opened and closed in the session, staff said the county will be able to continue the matter to a date uncertain; doing so will require re-advertising and reopening the hearing when terms are finalized.

The board voted to add an executive session at 1 p.m., citing the executive-session authority the chair referenced in the meeting (RCW citation as read aloud during the meeting). A motion to approve the agenda as amended was made, seconded and approved; a separate motion to approve the consent agenda as presented was made, seconded and approved. The board then recessed for an executive session scheduled in the Administration Building, Room 200, initially expected to last until 2 p.m.

During discussion commissioners suggested prioritizing the four nearing hearings to reduce repeated continuances. Staff said they will not schedule further hearing dates until franchise terms are resolved.

No final decision on the franchise transfer was made at the Feb. 4 meeting; the public hearing will be continued to a date uncertain and will be re-advertised when staff and applicants have resolved the outstanding terms for testing within the county right-of-way.

The meeting record shows the board recessed to the executive session and later extended that closed session time; no public action was announced following the executive session.