The Snohomish County Council has decided to join the fight against a hearings board decision that shot down auto dealer Dwayne Lane’s attempt to move his Arlington car lot to farmland at Island Crossing.
After a closed-door meeting earlier this week, the council voted 4-1 to file an appeal of the hearings board decision in Superior Court.
Lane filed a lawsuit against the hearings board in July.
His plans to urbanize Island Crossing have mobilized opponents, however, who say the land should remain in farming and not be developed with a car lot, big box stores and strip malls.
John Healy, a spokesman for 1,000 Friends of Washington, which opposes Lane’s proposal, said the county’s involvement in the court battle is a waste of taxpayer money. An earlier attempt by Lane to urbanize Island Crossing went as high as the state Supreme Court but was rejected.
“Taxpayers of Snohomish County should be outraged that the County Council is continuing to waste their money for the benefit of a single businessman,” Healy said. “The contempt that these guys show for responsible planning – and their obligation under the law to protect the county’s farmland – is just remarkable.”
However, County Councilman John Koster said the hearings board raised the bar on the requirements that need to be met to take land out of agricultural uses.
That’s troublesome, because it’s now not clear if the county will ever be able to convert farmland to other uses, Koster said. He strongly criticized the board for discounting the testimony of people who said land at Island Crossing was no longer good for farming.
“Apparently, the board can pick and choose who they consider to be experts,” Koster said.
12 county jobs on hold
A dozen county jobs have been put on ice since a hiring freeze took effect July 1, according to a recent report on the number of vacant positions in county government.
For months, officials have been wringing their hands over the county’s future financial footing. A five-year financial forecast predicts growing budget deficits, reaching almost $40 million in 2009 if the county doesn’t reign in spending.
Although freezing 12 positions might not seem like much in a county bureaucracy that has about 2,700 employees, county finance director Roger Neumaier said each job that stays vacant means one more layoff can be avoided.
“It’s early, and 12 positions is a solid start,” Neumaier said.
The report on vacant positions shows that the county’s Public Works Department has the most empty chairs. A total of 131 jobs were unfilled, with 21 vacancies in public works ranging from truck drivers, to engineers, to solid waste workers.
Claim of the week: A Mount Vernon man wants $564 to pay for repairs on his 2003 Ford Windstar. He was driving past a county brush cutter when the machine allegedly hit a tire rim. The rim flew across the road and hit the man’s Ford, damaging the bumper.
Next week: The county will hold a public meeting to get opinions on a group of projects to restore salmon habitat, reduce flooding problems and protect wildlife habitat in the Snohomish River Confluence Reach Area.
How you can get involved: The meeting will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Snohomish Library, 311 Maple Ave., Snohomish.
Reporter Brian Kelly covers county government for the Herald. He can be reached at 425-339-3422; kelly@heraldnet.com.
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