Angry letters to the editors. Prophecies of doom in our mailboxes. Threats of more litigation over Island County’s critical areas ordinance and agricultural activities. Sound familiar?

Island County residents are polarized over another land use issue, but this time the split has not fallen neatly along Democrat-Republican lines. People are taking sides on this issue for reasons of environmental quality, protection of land values, quality of life and the impact of the ordinances on their ability to make a living.

The Democratic Party of Island County stands for strong communities, a growing economy, protection of legitimate property rights and a healthy environment. We would like to offer some suggestions as to how to balance these goals.

Protect our rural character. This is the one thing we all agree upon. It was the universally accepted principle of the Comprehensive Plan, which was reluctantly initiated by our county commissioners and adopted in 1998. We citizens, landowners, developers and public officials must understand that “rural character” is also our golden goose. Our farms and forests are a key draw for tourists, retirees and businesses which start or relocate here because of the islands’ beauty and quality of life. We should make it easier for the hundreds of small farms scattered across Island County to continue farming by reducing the 10-acre minimum for the county’s rural agricultural zone to a more reasonable 5 acres. This would relieve small farmers of the more stringent critical areas requirements which apply to non-agricultural activities, while continuing to provide a higher level of protection for the thousands of acres of non-agricultural rural land in Island County.

Litigate only as a last resort. Island County has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and much of the last 15 years in litigation over land use issues. Environmental interests have repeatedly prevailed over the county commissioners simply by insisting that Island County follow Washington law. Island County’s repeated attempts to evade the Growth Management Act while demonizing those who insist on compliance are a prescription for bad policies and long-festering community wounds.

Negotiations can’t solve every problem, but we should insist that commissioners and planners address disputes by initiating negotiations which bring people together instead of pushing them further apart.

Creating respectful community forums, listening to each other instead of shouting at each other and trying to understand others’ views are all important to creating fair and lasting solutions as well as maintaining a community.

Don’t waste our tax dollars. The county commissioners spent tens of thousands of our tax dollars to mail every household an inflammatory, misleading and often outright false statement regarding the critical areas ordinance. In addition, the commissioners have re-hired the same attorney who spent 10 years helping the commissioners in their unsuccessful attempts to avoid state laws.

To the extent we have excess tax dollars in the future, let’s spend them educating small farmers on environmental protection requirements and helping them pay for measures needed for compliance. The citizens of Island County can create positive outcomes for the issues facing our community, but we need to start working together.