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Potential restructuring of a committee tasked with finding flood solutions was overturned last week.

During their second meeting, the Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee members voted down a proposal to have Skagit County Commissioners take a second look at the group’s composition.

The motion, made by Mount Vernon Mayor Bud Norris, was seconded but failed to be approved by the committee in a 10-2 vote.

Norris said Burlington should be represented on the committee because its high assessed land value would be in danger should a flood occur.

“Burlington should have voting statutes,” he said.

Currently, Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon and La Conner all have mayors on the committee.

Norris’ argument came under fire by flood historian and committee member Larry Kunzler, who asked the mayor why Burlington should be the exception

“You could also make the argument that Anacortes should be represented since they’re one-third of the tax base,” Kunzler said.

Committee member Larry Wasserman said if the Skagit County Commissioners were to look at the group’s configuration, maybe the four local Native American tribes should also be represented.

Sedro-Woolley Mayor Mike Anderson voted against Norris’ proposal, and said he would be nervous voting for an item that could potentially take Sedro-Woolley representation off the committee.

“You could just do this over and over,” Anderson said.

Norris also made a motion to modify the Board of Supervisors to include a dike district commissioner, a mayor and a county commissioner. That motion failed to gain a second vote.

Currently, the three county commissioners serve as the committee’s Board of Supervisors.

“I would suggest to the mayor that if he wants to pursue this, he start collecting signatures,” Kunzler said.

The committee’s next meeting will take place at 4 p.m. Aug. 18 and will likely discuss the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed flood control measures. Thirty-nine flood control projects — from improvements to dike and levee systems to bridge renovations — will be discussed. The location of the meeting will be announced at a later date.