By Darrell Kirk
Weekly contributor
San Juan County Council members Jane Fuller, Kari McVeigh and Justin Paulsen joined over 300 elected officials and department heads from across Washington at the annual Washington State Association of Counties conference in Spokane, a three-day gathering focused on networking and addressing critical County issues.
The Council members strategically divided their time among different breakout sessions to maximize their learning opportunities. “We did our level best not to actually be in the same rooms with each other,” Paulsen explained. “We were sort of getting the full breadth of what the conference had to offer.”
Budget management emerged as a central theme, with all counties currently navigating their annual budget processes. Paulsen noted significant discussion around public defense funding, describing it as “a big divisive issue in the state.” New state-mandated caseload standards require counties to hire additional public defenders over a ten-year period, yet the state has provided no funding mechanism to support these requirements.
Housing affordability dominated planning discussions, with rural counties seeking greater flexibility in addressing their housing crises. Paulsen participated in sessions about Local Areas of Moderately Intense Rural Development, or LAMIRDs, special land use designations that apply to areas like Olga and Deer Harbor in San Juan County.
Other counties expressed considerable interest in San Juan County’s unique affordable housing funding model. The County’s real estate excise tax, tied to its conservation land bank, generates annual revenue dedicated specifically to affordable housing initiatives. This fund has benefited organizations including Opal, San Juan Home Trust and Lopez Community Land Trust, and has contributed significantly to the Pea Patch project on Orcas.
“San Juan County is a little unique,” Paulsen said, noting that many smaller rural counties lack similar nonprofit resources for housing development.
Paulsen also focused on behavioral health and mental health support systems, showing particular interest in Skagit County’s North Star Program. This collaborative initiative brings together commissioners and municipal leaders to address behavioral health and addiction needs. San Juan County already benefits from this work due to its connection with Skagit County, and Paulsen identified strengthening this partnership as a priority for next year.
WSAC has long represented county interests to the state Legislature, with former Lopez resident Jamie Stevens having served nearly a year as the organization’s president.
