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Environmental Stewardship outlines funding gap and a menu of local and legislative options to sustain programs
Summary
The county’s Environmental Stewardship director outlined options to close a projected program funding gap (~$124–155k) including visitor donation pilots, fee-for-service work, local fees (mooring/mortgage), and state-level legislative proposals such as a boater pass or Climate Commitment Act allocations.
Kendra Smith, director of Environmental Stewardship, presented a comprehensive review of potential revenue sources to sustain the department’s programs, noting a projected funding gap for 2027 in the $124,000–$155,000 range under a range of grant outcomes.
Smith outlined a menu of options: voluntary visitor donations (QR-code pilot), fee-for-service work to keep mitigation dollars local, parking or access fees for conservation areas where legal, mooring- or vessel-related fees tied to management costs, county operational adjustments (e.g., migration of some programs to utilities), and state-level legislative measures such as a regional boater pass or expanded CCA allocations for local climate-implementation funding. She described some avenues as requiring legislative action and others as administratively feasible pilots.
Councilors probed the scale of need and asked Smith to return with clearer dollar targets and a prioritization tied to the county’s climate-action and conservation plans. Several councilors urged transparency if utility or fee changes were pursued, and emphasized that some options (real-estate excise taxes, lodging-tax expansions) are politically sensitive and not staff recommendations. Smith said the department will present pilots to council before launch and will seek further direction on which options to pursue.
Council members broadly praised the staff’s inventory of options and asked for a follow-up that maps specific priority projects (from the climate-action plan and the marine stewardship area) against distinct revenue scenarios so councilors and the public can see trade-offs. The department said it will return with more detailed cost targets and recommended next steps.
