Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sewer Franchises topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Island County approves two sewer franchise transfers on Camano and Whidbey islands
Summary
The Board of Island County Commissioners approved transfers and renewals of two sewer franchises — PW2025-0080 on Camano Island and PW2025-0079 on Whidbey Island — after Public Works described expired permits, easement layouts and inspection implications; no public comment was received.
The Board of Island County Commissioners approved two sewer franchise transfers on properties in Camano and Whidbey islands during a regular session.
County engineer Ed C. told the board that franchise PW2025-0080 (the Lorraine and Helham sewer system on Camano Island) had an existing franchise that expired in 2022 after the property sold in 2019, creating a lapse and prompting an updated transfer. He said the system uses an off-site drain field located on a parcel a little over two acres that reserves space for multiple drain fields and serves up to five separate houses. "The existing franchise actually expired in 2022," Ed C. said, describing the property history and the off-site drain-field arrangement.
After Ed C.’s presentation, Commissioner (speaker 2) moved to approve the Lorraine and Helham sewer franchise transfer (PW2025-0080); the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The second item, PW2025-0079, concerns a transfer and renewal for Timothy and Shelley Saint Peter’s sewer system in the Sunrise Hills area of northern Whidbey Island. Ed C. said an earlier franchise for the parcel expired in 2014 and that the house on the parcel was completed in 2025, which prompted the current franchise update. He described easements and a configuration where individual homes have single home-run pipes that transport septic effluent to a larger off-site drain field on an adjacent community parcel.
Commissioners asked technical questions about whether a triangular parcel crossed by an easement is community property, why only one owner on the street appears as a franchise holder, and how the 500-foot threshold affects which connections require franchises. Ed C. explained that the triangular parcel is community property and that the original plat laid out parcels and reserves for primary and reserve drain fields, and he noted some lines were installed years ago but sat idle until houses were completed.
Commissioner (speaker 2) raised concerns about administrative workload, saying the new rules could mean many individual homeowners must undergo separate franchise inspections and leakage reviews. "I feel like this is a little bit of a mess... and there's at least 50," the commissioner said, referring to the number of individual pipes that may connect to off-site drain fields; Ed C. responded that not all houses will necessarily require a franchise depending on their proximity and configuration.
With no public members speaking during the hearing, Commissioner (speaker 2) moved to approve the Saint Peter sewer franchise transfer (PW2025-0079); the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The board recorded the approvals by voice vote and did not conduct a roll-call in the recorded transcript. No formal public comments were made on either franchise at the hearing. The county indicated it will continue work to reconcile historical installations, easement records and permit records as part of the franchise catch-up effort.
