PORT ANGELES — Two Clallam County commissioners convened with three state legislators to discuss upcoming priorities, including housing, public health, emergency operations centers and indigent defense.
During Monday’s work session, Rep.-elect Adam Bernbaum, D-Port Angeles, Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend, and Sen.-elect Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, listened to the legislative priorities identified by commissioners Mark Ozias and Mike French. Commissioner Randy Johnson was not in attendance.
The primary topic was Clallam County’s housing crisis. Timothy Dalton, the county’s housing and grant resource director, said the regulations around housing are “really making it difficult out here on the Peninsula to find and afford housing.”
One player in the crisis is strict energy codes, Dalton said.
These codes, developed by the Building Code Council and not voted on by the Legislature, have been emphasizing energy conservation, which in turn drives up the cost of constructing residences.
“It’s not for the faint of heart right now, trying to build in this space,” said Wendy Sisk, CEO of Peninsula Behavioral Health.
While Tharinger said these codes are aimed at the goal of limiting climate change, “whether they [the Building Code Council] have gone a little overboard … is a good discussion.”
Current landlord tenant laws also play a part by disincentivizing homeowners from renting long-term, Dalton said.
“If you get a bad apple in there, they [the landlord] can’t get rid of them,” Dalton said. “By the time you get them out, the damage is done.”
Tharinger said the Legislature likely would discuss landlord tenant laws and vote on a rent stabilization bill during the session that begins Jan. 13.
“Your issues are not unique,” he added. “Affordable housing is an issue no matter what town you are in in the state.”
Public health was another larger topic of conversation.
Dr. Allison Berry, the health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, asked that the Legislature maintain its funding for public health services, especially given the potential impacts of the upcoming presidential administration.
“We are moving into a federal administration that is antithetical to public health,” Berry said. “Anything that can be done to maintain the social safety net and critical health services … will be essential.”
The individuals also briefly touched on possible state funding for indigent defense budgets, especially if the reduced indigent defense workloads are adopted by the state Supreme Court.
County administrator Todd Mielke also proposed the possibility of allocating capital appropriations for emergency management operations centers across the state, including Clallam County’s public safety facility that it is jointly developing with the city of Port Angeles.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
