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Public commenters urge caution on adding district courts and flag permitting delays; commissioners table court‑creation item
Summary
Public comment included a plea from Angelica Hernandez to delay action on creating two new district courts until agencies and departments coordinate; Mark Delaney and others raised permitting and permeable-paver concerns for island lots and slow permit turnaround. The court moved to table the item for further review.
During the public comment period, residents urged the commissioners to delay action on proposals to create two new district courts and raised concerns about permitting processes for coastal building projects.
Angelica Hernandez said she learned about the proposed two new district courts only after seeing the item on the agenda and urged the court to seek collaboration with the district clerk, district attorney, public defender’s office, sheriff’s department, probation, IT and other entities that would support such courts. Hernandez warned that adding two district courts would strain already scarce county resources—estimating each new court could average about $600,000 annually and noting IT Odyssey buildouts and staffing could cost “hundreds of thousands.” The court responded that the item would be tabled for further discussion.
Mark Delaney criticized permeable‑paver requirements applied to several island lots and said the permit processing times (he cited up to 200 days) were excessive for flat lots. Commissioners acknowledged the concern and advised procedural follow‑up with public works.
Another public commenter, Liz Miller, urged the court to revisit a field assessment study for animal services that had not been fully implemented despite a $4.2 million investment and encouraged operational changes (digital listings, weekend hours, spay/neuter programs) to improve shelter outcomes.
The court acted to table certain agenda items (including the district‑court request) to future meetings, and staff committed to providing additional backup information before the court takes further action.
