Skykomish County, Washington facts for kids
Skykomish County was a new county that people wanted to create in Washington state, USA. It would have been made from parts of Snohomish and King Counties. The name "Skykomish" comes from the Skykomish River, which runs through the area where the new county would have been.
What Was Skykomish County?
This proposed county would have included land in Snohomish County, specifically east of Snohomish, Washington. It also would have taken in the northeast part of King County. This area includes the town of Skykomish, Washington and a section of U.S. Route 2. The biggest city in the new county would have been Monroe, Washington.
People who wanted to create Skykomish County started gathering signatures in 1993. They needed these signatures to send their idea to the state government. This group worked with others who also wanted to create new counties, like Cedar County and Freedom County.
Why Was It Proposed?
In 1997, a state representative named John Koster suggested a bill called House Bill 1660. This bill explained how Skykomish County could be created. It said that people in the affected area would vote on the idea. The bill also planned for the existing court in Snohomish County to serve the new Skykomish County too.
However, not everyone agreed with the idea. People who were against the new county wanted everyone in Snohomish and King Counties to vote on it, not just those in the proposed area.
The Supreme Court's Decision
In 1998, the state Supreme Court made an important decision. They ruled that to propose a new county, people needed signatures from half of all registered voters in the affected area. Before this, people thought they only needed signatures from half of those who voted in the last election.
Leaders of the Skykomish County movement were not happy with this ruling. They said that voter lists are often old, so getting signatures from half of all registered voters was almost impossible. This decision made it very hard for many groups to create new counties in Washington state.
Representative Koster also tried to pass bills for Freedom County, Washington and Pioneer County. But these bills did not get a vote before the legislative session ended in 1997.
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