| Conscientious elected representatives of Kitsap’s public tax districts need to check in with the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and see what PSRC has in mind. They will be surprised to discover an unelected group of regional “vision makers” establishing public policies in their place. School districts, libraries, port districts, sewer and water districts, etc. will no longer be responding to their tax-paying electorate, but to a group outside Kitsap County now establishing regional policy through its pending policy document “VISION 2040.”
These policies include freezing the boundaries of Urban growth areas while forcing all future growth inside those boundaries, moving all schools into urban growth areas, prohibiting building of roads in rural areas, establishing new standards for water purity and air quality, determining standards for roads, housing, etc., establishing a “regional” transportation system, establishing wildlife corridors throughout rural and urban areas, and working to eliminate the private auto as a choice in transportation.
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It doesn’t begin to stop there. This 84-page document, with it’s 26 individual “goals” and 159 “policies” provides no fiscal impact statement or indication of how the policies will be paid for, no real means of measuring achievement of the goals or effectiveness of the policies, and no means of accountability to the voters.
Some time back, Kitsap County willingly signed an Interlocal Agreement with Snohomish, King and Pierce Counties to set up PSRC. According to the ground rules for participation in PSRC, Kitsap County doesn’t qualify for participation in the first place. It falls far short of the population criteria and, except for Route 16, has no intra-regional transportation connectivity with the other counties. Kitsap has much more in common with Jefferson and Mason Counties. Yet Kitsap County Commissioners have effectively handed over all policymaking authority to an East Puget Sound group completely out of touch with Kitsap voters.
There are some elected officials (from throughout the four county region) who sit on the board of directors and there is a provision for voting on key issues, including the forthcoming “VISION 2040.” Kitsap County (including all of its participating municipal governments) has only three percent of the vote, while King County (based on population) has 52 percent!
The Interlocal Agreement states unequivocally that PSRC will adhere strictly to growth management and comprehensive plans of the counties. However, Vision 2040 states that PSRC establishes policy and will even “certify” each county’s adherence to them.
Vision 2040 also establishes the authority of PSRC to review and approve a city or county comprehensive plan. The draft VISION 2040 policies are not consistent with and in many cases contradict the existing Kitsap County County-wide Planning Policies and Comprehensive Plan.
Those desiring a copy of VISION 2040 should contact Norm Abbott, at Puget Sound Regional Council;1011 Western Ave., Suite 500; Seattle, WA 98104-1035 or phone Robin McCullough at (206) 389-2819.
Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) has prepared and submitted a substantial review document containing paragraph-by-paragraph critical comments to PSRC. Those taxing jurisdictions or individual citizens desiring to search out the policies that will impact themselves or their respective jurisdictions may obtain a copy of KAPO’s comments by requesting it through either Vivian Henderson (Ph. 360-871-2383) or Karl Duff (Ph. 360-871-1265) and providing a mailing address.
KAPO has previously noted and reported to Kitsap County Commissioners that while no change can be made to the Interlocal Agreement itself without unanimous consent of ALL participating counties and municipal governments, withdrawal can be accomplished by merely providing a six-months notice. KAPO has made strong recommendation the county withdraw from PSRC.
But first, our taxing districts need to discover what is going on!! The period for general public comments has already passed.
Karl Duff
Port Orchard
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