Snohomish County Council member Nate Nehring
The Snohomish County Council adopts the Nehring’s ordinance requiring facility testing at Snohomish County housing properties.
On Wednesday, the Snohomish County Council adopted an ordinance introduced by Councilmember Nate Nehring, which requires annual testing of Snohomish County-owned supportive housing facilities for hazardous chemicals.
Ordinance 24-011 was adopted on a 3-2 vote with Councilmembers Nehring, Low, and Mead voting in support. Councilmembers Megan Dunn and Strom Peterson dissented.
The new requirements direct the County Department of Facilities and Fleet to test for methamphetamine and, at the discretion of the Director, other hazardous materials and controlled substances. The testing is indented to identify the presence of dangerous drugs in county-owned housing, including the hotels purchased in Edmonds and Everett.
The ordinance reads:
Testing shall be performed on all individual housing units, whether contained within single-family residences, multiplexes, condominiums, apartment buildings, motels or hotels, transient accommodations, pallet shelters, emergency shelters that operate more than thirty days per year or manufactured homes, as well as unsecured shared areas, including but not limited to, bathrooms, laundries, and lobbies.
“Since the county has decided to move into the role of landlord for affordable and supportive housing, it is critical that we ensure safe and healthy spaces are being provided for tenants and staff,” said Councilmember Nehring. “This testing requirement will give county staff the information they need to detect contamination early and, if necessary, take action to remedy the contamination before further damage is caused.”
The ordinance comes following documented reports of meth contamination in supportive housing facilities in Everett and Snohomish. In both of those cases, extensive drug contamination in the facilities led to extended closures which displaced many of the residents living there at the time. Earlier detection and awareness of the contamination may have resulted in less impacts to residents adversely impacted by the evacuation of the buildings.
“It is my hope that this requirement will allow the County to keep vulnerable individuals safe and ensure that we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” added Councilmember Nehring.
May 3, 2024
Beyond Everett, Everett