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July 24, 2002 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RESPOND TO HERALD TRAVEL ARTICLE Munks says travel is justified to adequately represent Skagit County at the national level SKAGIT COUNTY - In response to a recent article in the Skagit Valley Herald entitled, "On the Road Again," Skagit County Commissioners Ted Anderson, Ken Dahlstedt and Don Munks think some clarification is in order. "The public has a right to know how we spend their dollars. We are more than willing to provide that information in great detail," said Munks. "We budgeted $6,000 per commissioner in 2001. This year, we increased that amount to $11,000 to take into account that all three commissioners now serve on sub-committees with the National Association of Counties," said Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Munks. "We increased it by $15,000 to make sure Skagit County is well represented in shaping national policy in regard to agriculture, the environment, energy and public lands. We feel this is money well spent." Munks serves on the Environment, Energy and Land Use Committee. " A major issue on this committee is the shipment of hazardous waste. Last year, 2 million pounds of ammonia nitrate was shipped through Skagit County without us being notified. I made the motion for a resolution to be sent to President Bush to require notification so we can prepare for potential emergencies," said Munks. Munks' motion was approved unanimously by the committee. "In all, at our last conference, 129 resolutions were passed by 11 steering committees on issues that affect counties, that go directly to the President," he said. Munks said that it is unique that Skagit County has three commissioners on national steering committees. Commissioner Ted Anderson serves on the Public Lands sub-committee and Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt sits on the Agriculture and Rural Affairs sub-committee. Anderson cited his work with the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and the bill he helped pass, HB2389, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. "Partially through my efforts we were able to pass a bill to return traditional funding for another six years. In recent years, Skagit County received $7,590,924 in funding that would otherwise be gone," said Anderson. Anderson also mentioned that when budgets are tight, it is all the more important to seek funding at the national level. Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt proposed a resolution last year calling for more rigorous inspection of foreign food. "Many segments of agriculture are on the ropes here, because of an unlevel playing field. "I think my time is well spent working to correct this inequity. Our $220,000,000 agriculture base will take hard work to protect. I feel my work at NACO is an important part of my job as a commissioner," said Dahlstedt. Munks cited the complex issues facing Skagit County in regard to Growth Management, salmon buffers, the Endangered Species Act, home security, and others. "During our NACO conferences, we share ideas and expertise with other county officials facing the same list of problems," said Munks.
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