Committee tweaks and approves ‘Victory Garden Preservation’ pilot, directing General Services to lead

The Ways & Means Committee amended and adopted Resolution 244 on July 14 to establish a Victory Garden Preservation Program pilot aimed at prioritizing local food access and community resilience.

Legislator Peters proposed a further amendment to the resolution to strike references to the Department of Environment and instead direct the Director of General Services, in coordination with other relevant departments, to oversee procurement and administration at the director's discretion. Deputy Executive Lavell explained the amendments address prior committee concerns about department capacity and clarify that the county would secure a partner organization to manage program staffing and administration. Lavell said the changes were intended to avoid placing full program responsibility on county staff and to make procurement language clearer.

Committee members asked about funding and scope. Legislator Grossman confirmed that the $100,000 noted in the resolution would include fees for a third‑party administrator and program expenses such as materials, and that the source is the legislature’s contingency fund. The amended amendment passed 6–1 and the resolution was adopted as amended and further amended.

The resolution directs the county to initiate procurement and to use the legislative contingency funding identified in the resolution; the director of General Services will have discretion over execution and timing as specified in the amendment.

Next steps: staff will move forward with procurement and return to the committee with implementation details and timelines as appropriate.