Easements

Streamside buffer tax unlikely to go to Skagit voters

The Skagit Valley Herald (subscription required) reports that the county commissioners do not plan to put a tax increase to pay for streamside buffers on the August ballot:

Skagit County’s plan to pay farmers for streamside buffers is unlikely to go to the voters in August, Skagit County commissioners said Friday.

A voter-approved tax increase had been a key component of the Salmon Heritage Program when it was unveiled last month. But after Tuesday’s apparent failure of four local school district bonds, the commissioners now say they don’t believe voters would support the measure.

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Skagit streamside buffer plans rejected before

The Skagit Valley Herald (subscription required) offered a brief history on Sunday of the 11-year “saga of streamside buffers.”

Skagit County’s proposed Salmon Heritage Program is merely the latest attempt to resolve a dispute that has pitted farmers against fish advocates and has reached the state Supreme Court. It incorporates many elements from previous plans, including the target of bringing just 80 percent of the eligible land — rather than 100 percent — into the program.

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Skagit County proposes raising taxes to save salmon

Skagit County commissioners proposed raising property taxes to create streamside buffers around the Skagit River and its tributaries.

The Seattle Times:

A proposal announced Thursday and headed to the county’s voters in the summer would cost the average homeowner about $25 a year. The county commissioners say raising public money to buy land from willing sellers would not only preserve land along the river and streams and boost salmon survival, but it might even help endangered orcas.

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