City Council
Regular MeetingMount Vernon, WA · June 6, 2025
Minutes
City of Mount Vernon
Special City Council Meeting Minutes
June 6, 2025
Swinomish Casino & Lodge, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes
The Skagit County Board of Commissioners met in a special joint session with the
Cities of Anacortes, Burlington, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley on Friday, June
6, 2025, with Chair Lisa Janicki, Commissioner Ron Wesen, and Commissioner Peter
Browning present.
I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL:
Skagit County Chair Lisa Janicki, Anacortes Mayor Matt Miller, Burlington Mayor Bill
Aslett, Mount Vernon Mayor Peter Donovan, and Sedro-Woolley Mayor Julia
Johnson called the proceedings to order at approximately 8:00 a.m.
Councilmembers present from the City of Anacortes included Ryan Walters,
Christine Cleland-McGrath, TJ Fantini, and Carolyn Moulton. Anacortes Planning
Commission member Michael Mills was also in attendance.
Councilmembers present from the City of Burlington included Elizabeth Turman-
Bryant, Dr. Jesús Pérez-Linares, Kelsey Freeman, and James Stavig.
Councilmembers present from the City of Mount Vernon included Navor Tercero,
Iris Carias, Andrew Vander Stoep, Melissa Beaton, Mary Hudson, and Richard
Brocksmith.
Councilmembers present from the City of Sedro-Woolley included Kevin Loy, Sarah
Diamond, Allan Henderson, and Paul Cocke.
Other staff in attendance included Skagit County Director of Strategic Initiatives
Monica Negrila, Skagit County Deputy County Administrator Jennifer Johnson,
Skagit County Public Health Director Keith Higman, Skagit County Senior Public
Health Analyst George Kosovich, Skagit County District Court Judge Jenifer
Howson, Skagit County Clerk of the Board Amber Erps, and Mike Bonetto from
Tenfold Health.
II. AGENDA:
a) 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Special Joint Meeting with Cities of Anacortes,
Burlington, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley (Swinomish Casino & Lodge,
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June 6, 2025
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12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes)
1. Overview of North Star Initiative
Director of Strategic Initiatives Monica Negrila provided an overview of the North
Star initiative and shared that the goal for the meeting was to strengthen
collaboration by building trust, deepening understanding, and that there was a
desire to see if the four cities were interested in revisiting a city-county partnership
to address homelessness and behavioral health challenges in the community by
pooling resources and funding.
2. Jurisdictional Cross-Sharing & Exploring Formal Collaboration Roundtable
Discussion was held regarding highlights and challenges each jurisdiction faced,
hopes for regional collaboration, desire for a formal partnership agreement, what
benefits or concerns were foreseen, and what conditions or deal-breakers needed to
be addressed.
Ms. Negrila asked each jurisdiction to discuss these topics and share feedback with
the group.
Some of the highlights shared by Anacortes included partnerships with housing
providers, the Salvation Army, and Community Action Agency, and the approval of
sales tax for housing. Burlington highlighted the STAR Center, medical detox, two
additional affordable housing units, and the First Steps Center. Mount Vernon
highlighted Martha’s Place, and another behavioral health center. Sedro-Woolley
highlighted Family Promise, Helping Hands Food Bank, a youth center at the high
school that also served meals, the STAR Center, and opioid funding. Skagit County
highlighted the STAR Center, co-response teams for mental health, and community
court.
Some of the challenges discussed by Anacortes included bringing the public along
and the need for improved information/transparency regarding North Star. The
Interlocal Agreement provided by the county in 2023 regarding North Star had not
been fully signed because it generated more questions than answers. Anacortes
appreciated the increased outreach and presentations provided by the county since
then. Burlington discussed challenges with meeting affordable housing needs and
job opportunities. Mount Vernon discussed budget concerns. Sedro-Woolley
discussed eviction prevention and adequate programs for youth. Additional
discussion was held regarding the U.S. Department of Labor’s decision to possibly
close the Job Corps Center in Sedro-Woolley. Skagit County discussed co-response
expansion, Medicaid funding, and declining revenue streams.
There was general consensus to collaborate regionally. Requests were made for a
sound policy, to avoid “silos” between partners, and to ensure that each community
was represented. Commissioner Browning discussed the successes Skagit County
was able to achieve regionally with the five-county partnership (between Skagit,
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June 6, 2025
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San Juan, Whatcom, Island, and Snohomish Counties) and he was optimistic about
achieving success for the community through a strong cities-county partnership.
Further discussion was held regarding the formation of a joint
agreement/partnership for North Star and additional details were requested about
the dispersal of funds, that the cities be involved in drafting the agreement, that
the North Star website be improved, that North Star minutes be more robust, and
to hold some of the meetings and work sessions in the evening for councilmember
attendance. The group requested to continue moving forward and hold both joint
cities-county meetings as well as city council meetings.
Three options for formalizing a collaborative North Star partnership were discussed
and the group was generally supportive of the first option which was to amend the
2006 Interlocal Agreement regarding homeless housing Notice of Funding
Availability (NOFA) and replace United Way’s approval committee with a cities-
county North Star aligned committee so long as there were clear expectations with
a comprehensive process and continued discussions with cities. This option would
update and improve the 19 year-old process regarding funding recommendations
for the document recording fees collected by the Auditor’s Office for
homeless/housing uses.
3. Discussion on Funding Alignment of Opioid Settlement Funds
Senior Public Health Analyst George Kosovich provided an overview of the total
funds available through the city and county opioid settlement agreements and he
discussed some potential high priority projects that could be jointly funded by
pooling all or some of their opioid funds. The projects would benefit the entire
community and include detox bridge housing, additional recovery housing,
additional recovery services, or funding the startup of the STAR Center.
The group discussed the projects and noted the benefits of joint funding but found
it difficult to decide which projects to fund with the available opioid settlement
funds. It was agreed that additional discussion was needed on this topic.
4. Summary and Next Steps
In addition to forming a partnership agreement to work together, concerns were
also shared for further discussion regarding continued support for local non-profits
and North Star competing with local non-profits for grant funds.
Ms. Negrila thanked attendees for their meaningful discussions and feedback.
III. ADJOURNMENT:
Chair Janicki, Mayor Miller, Mayor Aslett, Mayor Donovan, and Mayor Johnson
adjourned the proceedings at approximately 9:00 a.m. so that the group could join
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the North Star Connect Symposium where they heard from speakers and
stakeholders on behavioral health, housing, and recovery.
Submitted by: Becky Jensen, City Clerk
Approved: July 9, 2025
Agenda
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
Mount Vernon City Council
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Mount Vernon City Council will attend a
special meeting on Friday, June 6, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. This will be a joint
meeting with the North Star, City Councils, Mayors, and Skagit
County Commissioners and North Star Connect Symposium. The meeting will
be held at Swinomish Casino and Lodge, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes WA.
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the items listed on the attached
agendas.
Becky Jensen
City Clerk
Copies provided to:
Beaton
Brocksmith
Carias
Hudson
Molenaar
Tercero
Vander Stoep
KBRC
KAPS
Skagit Publishing
Skagit County Commissioners
North Star Joint City Councils, Mayors, & County Commissioners
Meeting Agenda
June 6, 2025 | 8:00am – 9:00am
Meeting Goal:
To strengthen collaboration under the North Star initiative by deepening mutual understanding, and
building trust, gauging interest in formal partnership, and exploring aligned funding opportunities.
1. Breakfast & Networking (15 minutes) – 7:45am
2. Welcome & North Star Initiative Overview (10 minutes) – 8:00am
• Call to order, Roll Call
• Overview of meeting goals and agenda
3. Roundtable: Jurisdictional Cross-Sharing & Exploring Formal Collaboration (30 minutes)
• Discussion:
o What are one-two highlights and challenges your jurisdiction is facing? What is one hope
you have for regional collaboration?
o What are your thoughts on revisiting a formal partnership agreement?
o What benefits or concerns do you foresee?
o What conditions or deal-breakers would need to be addressed?
3. Funding Alignment: Opioid Settlement Funds (15 minutes)
• Overview of total funds available and possibilities for aligned investment
• Discussion:
o How is your jurisdiction currently using the Opioid Settlement funds?
o Are there opportunities for and is there interest in joint investment for more meaningful
impact?
5. Summary & Next Steps (5 minutes)
• Summary of key takeaways
• Identify next steps and future engagement: City Council Work session, or regular meetings, etc.
TIME AGENDA
8:00-9:00
Main Room Registration, Networking, and Breakfast
9:00-9:15 Peter Browning - Skagit County Commissioner
Main Room
Welcoming Remarks
JanRose Ottaway Martin, MSW - Executive Director, North Sound BH-ASO
9:15-10:15 Keynote Speaker
Main Room Heartwork: Honoring Your Gifts to Build Community - Tanaya Winder, MFA, CPC
No matter your role, job, or position in life, we are all on a healing journey. Join renowned
Indigenous poet, author, and motivational speaker Tanaya as she intertwines resilience and
empowerment to help you understand how to honor your gifts and enhance your capacity
for compassion and growth.
Learn about the significance of the words we use to define our lives, be inspired to honor
your voice and spirit, and discover how to use storytelling as a healing tool to support
collective care.
10:15-10:30 Break
Main Room Room 3 Room 4 Room 5
Breakout Housing Community-Based Systems Change, Community-Based
Sessions System of Care - Vital Conditions, and System of Care -
Treatment Building Civic Muscle Recovery
10:30-11:30 The New Growth The Fourth Confronting our Heartspeak:
Management Act Wave of the Challenges at a Writing to Heal
(GMA) Landscape: Opioid Crisis: System Level Tanaya Winder,
Improving Housing Methamphetamine Chris Kelleher MFA, CPC
Accessibility and Fentanyl
Ryan Walters, JD, Paul Hunziker, Skagit County’s Heartspeak helps us
AICP; and Joe MA, LMFT, SUDP system of well-being connect with ourselves
Tovar, FAICP is often fragmented in ways that remind us
and siloed. In this of the medicine we
Examine the increase session, we’ll discuss carry, our purpose,
Explore recent of methamphetamine systems thinking and and life calling. Writing
updates to WA’s use in the era of learn about what it and journaling this way
Growth Management fentanyl. takes to develop is a helpful and
Act (GMA) and actions that can reflective skill that
implications for Discuss how solve multiple helps process trauma,
housing policy and methamphetamine problems at the joy, and anything in
planning. has evolved since the same time. between.
2000s epidemic.
This session presents We’ll also explore This interactive session
current data on Learn about the how to grow will help you tap into
housing needs and interactions between belonging and civic parts of your journey
highlights policy fentanyl and muscle, how to form that need compassion,
innovations aimed at methamphetamine working relationships reexamination, and
expanding affordable and how it increases across boundaries, uplifting. No need to be
housing options and the risk of overdose. and how to shift a “writer” – this session
accessibility. Learn norms by leveraging is meant for grounding
how local jurisdictions the power of strong- in the power of pause,
can respond to GMA tie networks. presence, and
changes with effective reflection.
housing strategies.
TIME AGENDA
11:30-12:15
Main Room
Lunch and Networking
12:15-1:15 Keynote Speaker
Main Room Homelessness is a Housing Problem - Gregg Colburn, PhD, MBA, MSW
Why do some communities have high rates of homelessness while others do not? This
question is the focus the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural
Factors Explain U.S. Patterns.
In this presentation, Gregg Colburn will summarize the key arguments from his book,
address common misperceptions about the drivers of homelessness, highlight the
important relationship between housing access and homelessness, and share suggestions
for future progress.
1:15-1:30 Break
Main Room Room 3 Room 4 Room 5
Breakout Housing Community-Based Systems Change, Community-Based
Sessions System of Care - Vital Conditions, and System of Care -
Treatment Building Civic Muscle Recovery
1:30-2:30 Homelessness is The Current State Leveraging The Science of
a Housing of Treatment for North Star for Recovery: What
Problem: Panel Methamphetamine System-Level Supports Lasting
Discussion Use Change Change
Gregg Colburn, Paul Hunziker, Chris Kelleher Alan Muia, MEd;
PhD, MBA, MSW; MA, LMFT, SUDP Denna Vandersloot,
and Panel North Star has made MEd; and Panel
Review evidence- great strides in
based practices for building civic muscle
Gregg will be joined among elected Explore the factors that
by a panel of local methamphetamine contribute to sustained
use. officials and
experts to further government entities. recovery, learn about
examine the data Our next frontier is to recovery capital (the
presented in the Discuss challenges essentials for long-term
with finding effective leverage the great
keynote presentation power of residents recovery), and hear
and discuss issues treatments. from a panel of
and organizations by
specific to Skagit building structures individuals with lived
County and their Learn about options experience.
when people are not that enable us to work
respective together in new and
jurisdictions. mandated to This session explores
treatment. better ways.
the importance of social
In this session, we’ll relationships and
Examine myths and connections and
stigma related to discuss what those
structures should look discusses ways to
methamphetamine strengthen them to
use. like and how everyone
can participate. create a thriving
community for all.
2:30-2:35 Break
2:35-3:45 Coming Together to Solve Community-Wide Problems - Chris Kelleher
Main Room We don’t want our gains to stay in the room or be limited to a single day. This collaborative
session will build on everything we’ve learned and identify practical actions we can all
contribute to. We’ll leverage the great expertise and energy within specific areas and
develop structures for crossing boundaries and developing system-level solutions.
3:45-4:00
Main Room
Closing Remarks - Alan Muia, MEd - Executive Director, New Earth Recovery
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