Grange members from across Washington State will be traveling to three different locations across the state for the 131st annual session. Restrictions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic is forcing Grangers to meet in smaller groups and come together via Zoom for their annual business meeting. Locations for this year’s business meeting (Addy in Stevens County, Deer Lagoon in Island County, and Long Beach in Pacific County) were selected to host the meetings as they were all in counties currently operative in Phase 3 of the Governor’s Reopening Plan.

Originally planned for the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds in June, the State Grange Executive Committee acted in early spring to first postpone the annual convention and then to replace the convention with the business meeting at several locations.

Pre-registered delegates, officers, and directors only may attend the business meeting. The Grange Credentials Form served as the pre-registration. All forms must be received at the State Grange no later than October 15. Pre-registration is required as there is a maximum of 50 persons at each location.

Delegates will begin gathering at the three locations on Friday, October 30, beginning at 7:30 a.m., where dockets will be distributed. State Grange officers, deputy masters, and spouses will assist with registration and the various tasks required for the meeting.

The gavel will fall at 9 a.m. to begin the business meeting. Officiating at the business meetings will be State Grange Master Tom Gwin of Humptulips Grange. He will be assisted by a person in charge of the business meeting in each location. Following the abbreviated opening of the meeting, the credentials committee will report on the number of delegates present to determine if a quorum is met.

The Friday morning session will include the delivery of the State Master’s Address, following by committee reports and action on those reports. The election of State Grange officers will be interspersed with the committee reports.

There are five offices up for election this year: one full three-year term on the executive committee, and one-year unexpired terms for the offices of Overseer, Executive Committee, Steward, and Flora dues to resignations for various reasons.

Following a 90-minute lunch break at 12 noon, the delegates will again gather to continue the business of the organization though the afternoon session. The meeting will recess at approximately 5 p.m. for the evening.

Delegates will be called back into session on Saturday, October 31 at 9 a.m. Committee reports will continue until all 17 committee have reported at the session, with the delegates acting on each report. There will again be a 90-minute lunch break.

Installation of new State Grange officers is tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m., but that time may be moved earlier if business is completed. The goal is to adjourn no later than 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Convention committees, consisting of delegates, officers, and their spouses will meet beginning on October 12 in a zoom format to review and discuss each resolution and standing committee report. Please refer to the list of committee meetings elsewhere in this issue. You can also find the list of proposed resolutions in this issue.

Normal convention activities, such as the exemplification of the sixth degree, memorial service, celebration banquet, and the talent show have been suspended for this year. Those events are all on the agenda of the 2021 convention.

San Juan Island Grange #966 has awarded a $4,000 farm grant to Zachary Chan, farmer and owner of New Hannah Farm. “The Grange’s Farm Grant has paid for three caterpillar tunnels,” said Chan. “They’ll increase production and yields, help our summer crops thrive, and really extend our season. For the first time, we can properly trellis cucumbers and tomatoes. We’ve already noticed that the tunnels have provided our basil with a huge boost! It’s a substantial upgrade for the farm and we are thrilled!”

“Supporting small farmers is so important,” said Christina Dahl-Sesby, Chair of the Farm Grant Committee. “And providing grant funds for infrastructure increases the availability of high quality, locally grown and sustainable foods in the community.”

“San Juan Island Grange #966 has a long history of providing support for local agriculture. We welcome this opportunity to ‘grow the Grange’ by supporting this young and exemplary island farmer,” said Grange President Boyd Pratt.

The mission of San Juan Island Grange #966 is to support a resilient community of growers, makers, and keepers, to foster social and political engagement, and to maintain the Grange Hall as a home for celebrations and programs.

More information about New Hannah Farm: https://www.newhannah.com/

More information about San Juan Island Grange #966: https://sanjuangrange.org/

COVID-19 RECOVERY WILL TAKE TIME AND PATIENCE

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to create havoc in our Granges statewide. Who would have thought we would have to shut down our Granges for at least six months to protect our members and those in the communities we serve? Looking back, we had no option other than to shut down our Granges per the order of our Governor. We re continuing to receive telephone calls and email inquiries as to when our Granges can reopen. Our response, which has been consistent since this pandemic started, is that Granges follow the State of Washington Reopening Plan and guidelines from the CDC. The plan may be found online at https://www.coronavirus.wa.gov/

There is a great deal of variation within the plan. The reopening is broken down into four phases. Each county is assigned to one of the four phases based upon a number of factors. Each phase allows for an increase in activity. Currently, there are five counties in Phase 1 or a modification of Phase 1. Seventeen counties are in Phase 2 and seventeen counties are in Phase 3. While there is so much variation from county to county, the plan is allowing Granges in some counties to meet and begin activities once again. I ask that our Granges use caution and common sense in reopening their halls and working for the betterment of our communities.

On a positive note, there are a few counties who have designated a portion of their funds from the CARES Act toward non-profit groups. These funds may be used to replace rental fees lost due to the closure of our halls and may be used to pay for utilities and costs associated with our halls. There are some restrictions, such as none of the funds may be used to pay salaries and wages. Several Grange in Lewis County applied for and were granted assistance. I would encourage Granges in all counties to investigate to see if this type of financial assistance is available in your county.

STATE GRANGE PROCEEDS TO BUSINESS MEETING WITH CAUTION

We are proceeding to the State Grange Business Meeting with caution. As of this writing, there are nearly 140 delegates registered to attend one of the four locations. We have already added a second location in Long Beach and may need to add a second location in Eastern Washington. If we do need an additional location, we will use the same criteria in establishing a location…..the location must be in a county in Phase 3 of the Reopening Plan and preferably the location already has high-speed wi-fi available.

At the business meeting, we will practice social distancing. Masks will be required for all attendees. Disposable masks will be available for those without one. Temperatures will be taken daily upon arrival and recorded. Hand sanitizer will be available. Tables and chairs will be sanitized each day. Additional measures may also be taken for the protection of our participants.

I must reiterate “ONLY PREREGISTERED DELEGATES, WA STATE GRANGE OFFICERS, AND DEPUTIES MAY ATTEND OUR BUSINESS MEETING IN PERSON”. This means Granges have submitted their credential forms to the State Grange Office by October 15. Officers and deputies must also notify the State Grange by October 15. If space is available at some locations, spouses may be allowed to attend those locations. Contact the State Grange Office after October 15 to see if space is available. Those not attending in person will be able to observe the meeting via zoom (login information is elsewhere in this issue), but will not be able to participate in discussions or vote.

Delegate committee meetings will begin on October 12 via zoom, and will continue through October 20. Anyone may attend these meetings, but non-committee members may only speak with the approval of the chair. Committee assignments, dates, times, and login information is in this issue. Also in this issue, you will find a list of resolutions received as of this writing. There are still a few days before the resolution deadline, thus not all resolutions may be listed.

The tentative schedule is printed in this issue. There will be a 90-minute lunch break each day. We have made arrangements to have lunch available for purchase at Addy and Long Beach for a reasonable fee. We are still working on lunch at Deer Lagoon. Dry RV Parking is available at Addy, but not at Long Beach or Deer Lagoon. There are ample RV parks available near those two halls.

Any questions regarding the business session should be referred to the State Grange Office. Thank you for your continued patience as we work out the details of this year’s business meeting.

By Heather Hansen

Legislative Lobbyist

It appears certain that the 2021 legislative session will be like no other. What remains to be seen, is how it will function virtually. Due to COVID, the legislature will not meet in person. Virtual committee hearings may benefit rural Washingtonians. Rather than driving over the mountains during winter weather, you may be able to testify on bills via your home computer.

As you read this, many topics may be on your mind including wildfire, COVID, your local economy, and the state budget.

The June revenue forecast projected $9 billion fewer dollars would be collected than the previous four-year projection. Since then, the state economy has ticked up. There will still be a significant hole in the budget, but not quite as large as expected earlier this year.

If you have been keeping up on the news over the summer, you may wonder why a special legislative session has not been called to address the budget deficit. Only Governor Inslee can call a special session, legislators do not have that authority. There are two ways to resolve a budget deficit, either increase revenue (raise taxes) or decrease spending (cut services). Legislative leaders, who would control a special session, do not want to do either of those things just before the election.

You may be surprised when you pull back the curtain and see the actual budget numbers. The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s (ERFC) June revenue forecast estimated general fund revenue for the current biennium (July 2019 – June 2021) will be $46.1 billion. While less than expected, that is still a $2 billion increase over the 2017-19 biennium. The forecast also anticipates general fund state revenue will increase to $50 billion in the 2021-23 biennium and $54.5 billion in 2023-25.

So, if revenue continues to increase, why do we have a budget problem? The legislature has agreed to expenses greater than the anticipated increase. The 2020 supplemental budget included a $555 million increase over the 2019-21 baseline budget.

A $4.5 billion reduction in 2019-21 operating budget spending is still $3 billion more than 2017-19 levels. State spending has increased since the 2013-15 biennium from $33.9 billion to roughly $54 billion. That is a 59% increase.

Much of that spending was for K-12 education to comply with the 2012 State Supreme Court’s ruling in the McCleary case, the increase is unsustainable.

State spending in two years far outpaced the increase in statewide personal income per capita. State spending has grown by nearly 60% since the 2013-2015 biennium, personal income grew by 24% during that time. That is one of the highest rates of personal income growth in the nation. On average, Washingtonians are doing very well, although this increase is certainly not distributed equally. But the state cannot spend more than it brings in.

COVID has significantly disrupted our economy. Some of those changes may be long lasting. The state will have wildfire costs to pay for and increased case loads related to COVID. The Washington State constitution requires a balance budget before June 30, 2021. What are your priorities for funding?