by Heather Spaulding

Journal reporter

The Weekly sat down with San Juan County Councilman Rick Hughes to discuss last year’s successes and tribulations as well as goals for the future. The Orcas councilman is beginning his forth year.

Weekly: What were at least three major accomplishments of the San Juan County Council this year?

Rick Hughes: 1. Roads and infrastructure. San Juan County Councilman Jamie Stephens was able to bring in a bunch of money from the state. I think it was roughly $3 for road projects. Any time you can get money from the state that is important. We have five road projects on the list for next year, getting prepped for that.

We were able to get a bill passed through Olympia that allows San Juan County to use road funds for marine facility projects. That was a fun project to work on. The Cattle Point Road project was finished. This was where a county road ran through the national park and there was a great deal of concern about erosion on the roads coastal side, so it was rerouted to higher elevation. It (the project) took about 10 years from start to finish.

2. Legislation and budgeting. We passed the Eastsound Subarea Plan (Three ordinances were adopted by the council approving the Eastsound Subarea Plan updates late last year. To view the documents go to http://www.co.san-juan.wa.us/council/ordinances.aspx) and we are really close to passing the Shoreline Master Program (The San Juan County Council has most recently expanded the public participation time for the SMP. For more information, http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/364456331.html, or read the January 12 issue of the Journal.). I’m hoping we will have that completed by Jan. 31, 2016, at the latest. Once we pass the SMP we will have passed, in the last three years, every state-required legislation. That is a pretty great accomplishment. One of the most important things we did last year was passing the budget for a third year in a row. We continue to put away money in our rainy day fund. We have paid off the Solid Waste Excise Bond, and at the end of the year we reduced the tax by 1.5 percent. We are doing a lot of the things we promised to do, be efficient in government and provide good services.

3. Inter-Governmental Cohesion. We have worked really hard to co-exist and work together with the Town of Friday Harbor. Wherever the town goes, the county has to be a part of that, so we need to work together.

I am really proud of our county employees too. I’ve noticed over the last few years, not that people haven’t worked hard in the past, but since I’ve been here, I feel like people are really working incredibly hard. I just saw a number from the San Juan County Economic Development Council that showed San Juan County’s time to turn around permits is the quickest it has been in ten years. So I feel like people are working really hard to solve problems and move the county forward.

Weekly: What were some issues that the council could have handled better this year?

Oct. 9, a public records lawsuit was filed by Sheryl Albritton against San Juan County. According the complain several documents were withheld from a public records request. A settlement was reached by the end of the year, resulting with the county paying $ 22,501.00 plus legal and attorney’s fees.

RH: The answer is the public records issue. I wish we could have understood the scope of the situation sooner. I wish we could have filed the contract with union employees faster, not extending into the new year. I don’t know what we could have done differently, but I hate going into a new year not having certainty for employees (regarding their health care and benefits). Every day you learn a little on how to be better council person.

If we could have figured out a better way to handle the Growler and Prowlers out of Whidbey. (This has been an ongoing issue over the last couple of years, primarily on Lopez and the South end of San Juan due to changes in the navy’s training on Whidbey Island.) I know its difficult because we don’t have control, but it does cause a lot of people hardship. In a selfish way I am glad they (the navy) are there because they have a search and rescue team. This year 30 people have been flown off using that search and rescue. They have become a life line to our community in a way. I want to support the navy and what they do, but on the other hand, can they be a good neighbor? Maybe they could reroute their planes a little so they aren’t flying over community centers and housing areas?

Weekly: How did the Albritton Public Records Request lawsuit change how the county handles records requests?

RH: I don’t think we were completely aware of the volume of record requests we were getting. Last year alone we received something like 500 requests. But, anything bad that happens, hopefully something good happens out of it. The main things that we’ve done is that Stephens volunteered to be the councilman in charge. We have invested in software to speed up the process, and we are now meeting weekly with staff to make sure that those requests are a priority. Any department that does not make records requests a priority, if the county is hit financially due to a public records request that department may be hit with financial cuts. Transparency in government is 100 percent paramount, so speeding up our response is important.

Weekly: What are some goals for the county council in 2016? Editor’s note: The council won’t officially set their goals until Jan. 15.

RH: We want to support the fiber capability OPALCO is working on. OPALCO acquired Rock Island last Feb, and has been working on installing a broadband system for San Juan County.  (See OPALCO Pushes Further into the Broadband Market,  http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/292832211.html, or read the Feb. 20 edition of the Journal) There is no one else out there willing to provide this kind of infrastructure, so we need to support them. It’s really important we don’t have dead zones where cell phones, three way radios are unusable, so if someone in need we can help. Also once we get broadband huge environmentally friendly economic opportunities will open up.

Since I am the (ferry advisory committee representative), travel and international travel is a priority to me. We have been having conversations with a governmental body in the Canadian Gulf Islands called the Islands Trust to try to come up with a way to travel between the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands.

We are hoping to do a test run this summer with a passenger (walk on only) ferry.  How cool for example would it be if you could walk on a ferry for like twenty bucks and go to Pender or Saturna for the day?  We are also working with TSA to have direct flights to Canada out of Friday Harbor so you wouldn’t have to fly all the way to Seattle and back.

This council has been able to think broadly to fulfill our responsibilities. We need think out of the box to provide the services we have. I have huge concerns with metal health care, rental assistance, funding at the federal and state level, that could trickle down to us. We need to be aware of what our issues are and try to address them, so we can continue.

Weekly: When are the county council elections in 2016?

RH: The San Juan and Orcas seats are open this year. I have already filed with the Federal Elections Commission, so I am planning on running. The election would be held that second Tuesday in November. I’m look forward for the opportunity to serve this community for another four years. San Juan County Economic Development Council that showed San Juan County’s time to turn around permits is the quickest it has been in ten years. So I feel like people are working really hard to solve problems and move the county forward.