Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPacket Special Council SWISS Mar 13 2025Whatcom County Council (Special) COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360) 778-5010 Meeting Agenda Thursday, March 13, 2025 10 AM HYBRID MEETING - Council Office, 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225 COUNCILMEMBERS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A FIVE -COUNTY REGIONAL COOPERATION MEETING WITH SKAGIT, ISLAND, SNOHOMISH, AND SAN JUAN (SWISS) COUNTIES - A QUORUM OF COUNCIL MAY ATTEND THIS EVENT COUNCILMEMBERS Barry Buchanan Tyler Byrd Todd Donovan Ben Elenbaas Kaylee Galloway Jon Scanlon Mark Stremler CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC Council (Special) Meeting Agenda March 13, 2025 SEE ATTACHED AGENDA Whatcom County Page 2 Printed on 61312025 SWISS Regional Partnership Quarterly Meeting Thursday, March 13 1 10:00 —11:00 1 Online via Zoom (meeting link) A. OPENING 1. Call to Order WSAC Staff 10 min 2. Introductions WSAC Staff 3. Approval of Agenda WSAC Staff B. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. SWISS Chair and Vice -Chair Appointment WSAC Staff 10 min SWISS Member will review and discuss a recommendation form the Executive Committee on Chair and Vice -chair for 2025. The SWISS Executive Committee has made the following recommendations: • Chair — Commissioner Janet St. Clair (Island County) • Vice -chair — Councilmember Kari McVeigh (San Juan County) 2. SWISS Strategic Plan Status Repost and Update Plan SWISS Chair 30 min Outcome: WSAC staff will provide an update on the status of tasks within the SWISS Strategic Plan. SWISS members will identify and discuss potential plan modifications. 3. General Discussion SWISS Chair N/A C. CLOSING 1. Review New Tasks SWISS Chair 5 min 2. Adjourn DOCUMENTS ATTACHED 1. SWISS Strategic Plan 2. 2025 SWISS Meeting Schedule 'CGOM • ISL,gNp . z O i Z O �C Zs ? swiss SWISS Quarterly Meeting Strategic Plan Review & Update Thursday, March 13, 2025 110:00 — 1 1:00am m If SANJUAN� W N ATCO M 5!(A G IT AGENDA 8 Call to Order & Introductions TOPIC & OUTCOME • Call county bodies to order as necessary • Roundtable introduction of current and new members Chair and Vice -Chair Appointment SWISS Member will review and discuss a recommendation from the Executive Committee on Chair and Vice -chair for 2025. Strategic Plan Status Report and Update SWISS members will go through the following activities: 1. Strategic plan retrospective & adjustment 2. Emerging regional priorities General Discussion Open discussion around regional issues Review New Tasks & Adjourn • Recap any new tasks and confirm owner • Adjourn individual counties as necessary LEAD TIME WSAC Staff 10 m i n WSAC Staff 5 m i n Chair 30 min Chair As needed Chair 5 min SWISS APPOINTMENTS Thankyou! 2024 Chair: Commissioner Peter Browning (Skagit) 2024 Vice -chair: Councilmember Jane Fuller (San Juan) Executive Committee Recommendations 2025 Chair: Commissioner Janet St. Clair (Island) 2024 Vice -chair: Councilmember Kari McVeigh (San Juan) STRATEGIC PLAN DISCUSSION 1 RETROSPECTIVE & ADJUSTMENTS For each priority area we will be discussing: Status Update Where we have been, where are we now, and what have we learned Retrospective A chance to collectively look back at the work, and discuss what went well, and where there are opportunities for improvement Emerging Regional Priorities Problems are great, solutions are better No final decisions Not your only chance to share STRATEGIC PLAN MILESTONE TIMELINE Adoption of SWISS Plan November 14, 2023 RBAT Kickoff Meeting March 2024 Broadband Site Visit July 2024 Transportation Project Research Began April 2024 WSAC Broadband Proviso February 2024 Behavioral Healthcare D Kickoff Meeting August 2024 Legislative Lunch & 110- Networking Gathering I December 2024 Begin Behavioral Healthcare Research, Q4 2024 Broadband Collaboration Decision August 2024 Broadband Research Q4 D Transportation Kickoff Meeting May 2024 Regional Behavioral Healthcare Talking Points Q1 2025 ae 24 Transportation Advocacy Document Adopted November 2024 OVERALL PLAN TASK STATU ' . • .: • . . • 1 • 1 • . 1 • . 1 • • • 1 • . 1 • 1 . 1 . • 1 TASKWORI rF TARGET DATE I mmmmmmm Ilp TASK WORK TARGET DATE ■ TASKWORIJM ONGOING TARGET DATE I I ONGOING BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE • � 1 • 1 � • 1 � • 1 � • � 1 � • 1 • 1 • 1 • � 1 TASK WORK ■ TARGET DATE mmT TASK WORK . TARGET DATE mmm ONGOIN [TASK WORK TARGET DAT� i TRANSPORTATION mmmmmmmmm 19 19 w TASK WORK TARGET DATE mm TASK WORK TARGET DATE mmmm TASK WORK TARGET DATE W TASKS 1. Support WSAC 2024 budget proviso of approximately $1.3 million per year to staff local broadband implementation support services for all public entities engaging in this work. 2. Establish a Regional Broadband Action Team (RBAT) to proactively identify and evaluate opportunities to collaboratively improve regional broadband access. The RBAT will include representatives from SWISS counties and regional partners. 3. The SWISS RBAT will be responsible for completing the following tasks: • Research, summarize findings, and suggest collaborative actions for SWISS members on the following topics: • Current and future broadband workforce needs and gaps. • State and local policies and procedures concerning right-of-way access for broadband deployment. • Broadband technologies that meet short and long- term broadband access goals. • Identify and evaluate currently planned legislative actions or strategies of broadband partners. • Develop a regional broadband agenda representative of the collective needs, values, and priorities of SWISS counties to use in advocacy documents and actions. STATUS ACHIEVEMENT & LESSONS • Proviso request was successful • Funded work currently underway through WSAC • Meets quarterly with additional special meetings as needed • Representatives from each SWISS county • Completed subcommittee plan • RBAT currently on hold indefinitely • Identified opportunity to support WSAC's legislative priority in 2024 • Identified opportunities for collaboration and reached group decisions • Sno-TECH In -person site visit • Remaining tasks on hold due to current broadband work TARGET DATE BROADBAND - Retrospective Activity CONTINUE START STOP • Create time and place for regional Tracking and communicating federal • Suspend Regional Broadband Action sharing as needed broadband funding updates Team BEHAVIORAL HEX,.. iCARE Ia � ,asks 1. Research, summarize findings, and suggest collaborative actions for SWISS members on the following topics: • Existing regional behavioral healthcare needs assessments. • Planned legislative actions or strategies of behavioral healthcare partners. • Successful models, both locally and broadly, that address barriers to identified capacity issues. 2. Develop regional talking points and specific impact examples that align with partner agencies and organizations with the goal of targeted engagement with state and federal Legislators using local and regional data. 3. Establish regular meetings for SWISS members to network, discuss issues, and share knowledge and experience related to behavioral healthcare among SWISS members, community partners, state, and federal legislators. STATUS ACHIEVEMENT & LESSONS • Support for WSAC Reprocurement priority • Will prioritize regional needs study in 2025 • Will prioritize defining "access" & "adequacy" in 2025 • Behind due to initial scheduling challenges • Regional needs data not available • In progress • Began engagement with NS-BHASO • Delayed to previous tasks • Monthly meetings • Includes representatives from each county • Presentations from partners and state agencies • Shared regional priorities at Legislative Lunch • Completed subcommittee plan • Subcommittee meets next on March 24, 2025 19 Challenges establishing initial meeting schedule TARGET DATE BEHAVIORAL HEA r. - iCARE - RetroSDective Activitv CONTINUE • Prioritize regional needs assessment and impacts research • Subcommittee meetings • Prioritize engaging with and supporting partners START NNW STOP • Regional needs assessment research TRANSPORTATION TASKS 1. Establish a SWISS Transportation Subcommittee to proactively identify and evaluate opportunities to collaboratively accomplish intended transportation outcomes. The subcommittee will include representatives from SWISS counties and operate under SWISS's goals and guiding principles. 2. Develop focused talking points and a one -page advocacy document, focused on SWISS transportation challenges, to use in legislative actions. Talking points will be informed by the following task outputs: • Develop list of deferred maintenance projects, costs, impacts for the SWISS region. Impacts could include residential access to healthcare and food, economic impacts, and emergency response. • Identify and prioritize funding sources and potential collaborative actions, including but not limited to: • Road Usage Charge • EV Vehicle Fee • 1 % Property Tax • Fuel tax distributions 3. Research, summarize findings, and suggest collaborative actions for SWISS members on the following topics: • Support existing efforts to advocate for internships and workforce development. • Current and future workforce development gaps and needs. • Planned legislative actions or strategies of transportation partners. • Collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data that helps demonstrate regional impacts of current ferry services. • Existing studies focused on ferry services. STATUS ACHIEVEMENT & LESSONS Meets every other month Held presentations from CRAB and other transportation partners Completed subcommittee plan Created one page advocacy document supporting WSAC's transportation funding priority Completed deferred maintenance project list with impact examples Work will be ongoing through 2025 Provided input for WSAC's 2025 Transportation Funding Study Research time estimate Use of advocacy messaging during 2025 legislative session Work will be ongoing through 2025 TARGET DATE TRANSPORTATION - Retrospective Activity CONTINUE Research items in task 3 Subcommittee meetings wqVw START • Prioritize remaining research items STOP STRATEGIC PLAN DISCUSSION 2 EMERGING REGIONAL PRIORITIES Members will share and discuss: Emerging regional issues for consideration as a priority High level description of issue Vision of success for that priority Potential task sponsor No final decisions will be committed to today Not your only chance to share your thoughts EMERGING REGIONAL PRIORITIES PROPOSED ISSUE Regional emergency management funding through upcoming World Cup Regional coordination around climate change planning and pursuing funding VISION OF SUCCESS AW PROPOSED TASK SPONSOR Commissioner St. Clair (Island) Executive Somers (Snohomish) NEXT STEPS R UPCOMING DATFF NEXT STEPS • Meeting notes synthesized (WSAC Staff) • Review input and develop recommended plan updates (Executive Committee & Task Sponsors) • Share updated plan (WSAC Staff) • Finalize and adopt updated plan (SWISS Members) UPCOMING DATES • Behavioral Healthcare Subcommittee meeting— Monday, March 24 from 4:00 — 5:OOpm • Transportation Subcommittee meeting —Thursday, May 1 from 12:30—1:30pm • Executive Committee meeting —Thursday, June 5 from 10:00—11:OOam • SWISS Quarterly meeting —Thursday, June 5 from 10:00—11:OOam • County Leaders Conference in -person meeting —Tuesday, November 18 from 10:OOam—12:OOpm