Commission Briefs

County surplus of old vehicle

Mason County commissioners approved declaring a vehicle surplus at the Sept. 27 meeting.

According to the information packet, Equipment Rental and Revolving Fund has a 2007 Toyota Prius with 70,000 miles, a 2001 small unit deicer, a 2002 herbicide unit and 1999-2002 Ford F350 Rear End, Ford F150 Cab Guard, a sander and a chip spreader that has now been declared surplus and will be disposed of at public auction.

The auction will be through the state Surplus Program at 7511 New Market St., Tumwater. Auction information about the items can be found on the state surplus website at http://www.publicsurplus.com.

Jeff Carey appointed to committee

Jeff Carey was appointed to the Mason County Planning Advisory Commission by Mason County commissioners.

According to the information packet, the commission is a seven-member commission and Carey joins Joseph Myers, Isaiah Johnston, Terri Arcieri, Bob Wilkerson, Mac McLean and Tim Opiela.

County requests proposals for MOA

Mason County is posting a request for proposals to complete data collection portions of the Memorandum of Agreement between Mason County and the Squaxin Island Tribe.

According to the information packet, the portion of the MOA looks at current and future water use by drainage within the Water Resource Inventory Area 14 related specifically to the Goldsborough and Johns Creek drainages.

The budget effect could be as much as $50,000. The bidder should have experience in water resource inventory areas and evaluating data related to water use from domestic wells. The reason for this is Mason County and the Squaxin Tribe of Indians entered into a memorandum of agreement regarding current and future domestic water use within WRIA 14, and is seeking to complete the data request outlined in the MOA which have not been completed to date. The project should be completed within 90 days unless otherwise specified, according to the request for proposals. The submission period ends Oct. 28 and the review period will be from Oct. 31 to Nov. 10, with an anticipated announcement of proposal awarding by Nov. 15. The proposal will have a two-week contracting period and work is anticipated to begin Dec. 1.

Public Health contract amended

County commissioners approved an amendment of the Hood Canal Regional Pollution and Identification Correction Phase 4 with the Hood Canal Coordinating Council.

According to the information packet, Mason County Public Health is under contract with Hood Canal Coordinating Council to conduct pollution investigation, correction and public outreach activities in the Hood Canal area with a focus on Annas Bay. The contract was set to expire Sept. 30. The money in the contract cannot be spent and there is money remaining, so the amendment extended the expiration date to Dec. 31 and increases the maximum septic rebate amount from $350 to $500 per service.

County responds to Squaxin Island Tribe

Mason County submitted comments on Squaxin Island Tribe’s application for treatment as a state.

According to the information packet, the county submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the Squaxin Island Tribe’s application for treatment as a state for determining water quality.

According to the county’s response, the county finds the tribes request for treatment as a state to be vague and proposals overreaching the bounds of tribal reservation and trust lands.

“Water quality is never comprehensively defined and could be interpreted in a wide variety of ways,” the county’s response states. “What exactly will the tribe be measuring in terms of water quality? Throughout the document, water quality is paired with water quantity. While the two items have an interrelationship, they are treated separately in statute and in negotiations with stakeholders.”

In the conclusion of the response, the county states that it sees the application as an overreach and a mechanism to assert control on lands beyond the current reservation.

“This application, if granted, would create an overlap of control between the tribe, Mason County and the state of Washington which would lead to more litigation rather than more cooperation,” the conclusion reads. “There are currently laws, regulations and mechanisms in place to protect the waters of the state of Washington. Mason County has no objection to the tribe monitoring water quality within the boundaries of the current tribal reservation and trust lands but that authority cannot extend beyond those boundaries.”

Park host needed for Oakland Bay

Mason County Parks Department is recruiting an on-site park host and caretaker for Oakland Bay Park.

According to a news release, a successful candidate must provide their own RV and the county provides water, power and septic at no charge. Caretakers are responsible for opening and closing the park, site security, customer service, cleaning restrooms and light maintenance in return for utilities. There is no salary pay for this position.

People can apply for the position online at http://www.tinyurl.com/3y3npvrd.