The proposal to create separate districts for Conservation Futures funding died from lack of support Monday, but Island County commissioners hinted the battle between the north and south will someday rise again.

Public land purchases on the South End have been stalled since 2003 in the fight over tax dollars in the Conservation Futures program. The program preserves forests and undeveloped rural lands for open space and parks.

Commissioner Mac McDowell had hoped to make a permanent plan to create three separate accounts – each for a different part of Island County – because some North End residents feel the great bulk of money has not been spent on North Whidbey and parity was needed across the county.

McDowell’s proposal went belly up after a public hearing Monday when his fellow commissioners would not support his districting plan, however.

“Clearly, we are trying to fix a problem that doesn’t need fixing,” said Mike Shelton, commissioner from District 1.

“The purchase of the trail system adjacent to the Greenbank Farm threw the spending out of kilter, but that kind of property doesn’t come up all the time,” Shelton explained.

“We also need to recognize we haven’t had competing projects,” he said.

Shelton said he couldn’t recall many applications not getting money during the 14 or so years of the program.

“The only reason they were not funded is because the deal fell through,” he said.

Commissioner Bill Byrd also voiced doubts on the proposed ordinance.

Commissioner McDowell led the charge to divide the county into Conservation Futures funding districts.

“History shows applications are more lopsided from the South End. There is a lot more activism on South Whidbey,” McDowell said.

He blamed part of his constituency.

“The people in the Navy don’t get involved in political issues. They are here for four years then they are relocated,” McDowell said.

The proposed change would have divided Conservation Futures funds evenly throughout the county.

It would have chopped the county into three districts following school district boundaries; South Whidbey and Central Whidbey in one district, and the Oak Harbor and the Stanwood-Camano school districts into two other territories.

McDowell has been the main force behind the proposal.

But critics — including the Citizens Advisory Board for Conservation Futures — said the three-way split would dilute the pot of money available for public land purchases. Others said the three-territory idea would prevent those regions from having enough money to make any land purchases.

Under the parity approach, South Whidbey has not been eligible funding since 2003. That’s when $2.3 million was spent to buy land at Greenbank Farm.

Most residents who testified Monday on the proposed change said they opposed splitting the island into districts.

Oak Harbor city councilwoman Sheilah Crider supported the change, and read a letter signed by two of her colleagues on the council who also favored districts. But it was clearly a minority viewpoint.

Langley resident Diane Kendy said the proposed division made no sense.

“I can only assume Mac is against open space,” Kendy said. She pointed out that the split in spending between north and south at this point is only one percent; it’s 50 percent on the South End, and 49 percent on the North End.

“So you can’t say spending is grossly out of proportion,” Kendy said.

Steve Erickson of WEAN said that opportunities don’t follow population distribution on Whidbey Island.

“Some of the best opportunities are in those areas where population is lower,” Erickson said.

Dividing the pot of money three ways will “cripple the program” so nothing can be purchased, he said.

“None of the areas will have enough money to buy land when it is available,” Erickson said.

Marilyn Strayer, a member of the Audubon Society board, said her group did not support the change.

“The birds don’t recognize districts. Having dollars used in areas where most needed benefits all of us in the county,” Strayer said.

The Conservation Futures program was started in 1992. Property owners pay 6.25 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property annual into the fund for conservation and public access projects.

When the Conservation Futures program began, there were no boundaries and the money was spent island-wide.

By 1997, however, the central and southern parts of Whidbey Island had received 84 percent of the funds since the program’s start. About $2.83 million has since been used for projects on North Whidbey and on Camano Island .

Separate funding territories were set up in 2002 after McDowell pressed the parity issue between north and South Whidbey.

Shelton said Monday that the work would continue on a revised districting proposal, and it would be brought back to the board in six months.

More opposition is expected.

Bill Applegate is an Oak Harbor resident who was a member of the original Conservation Futures technical committee when the system was established.

“It was apparent even back then the potential for conservation property was more in the South End. It is a matter of island unity. We are all members of the same island,” Applegate said. “We should continue to function as a county and not divide up county resources.”