Klickitat County

Board of Commissioners

Minutes – Meeting of Tuesday, August 22^nd, 2006

Agenda Item - Comment/Disposition

Call to Order/Roll Call

Morning Workshop Session – Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Chairman Ray Thayer called the meeting to order at 10:10 AM.

Commissioners present: Ray Thayer, Don Struck and Joan Frey.

Workshop Session Agenda

10:10 AM – Public Works Department Update

Attendance: Public Works Director/County Engineer Scott Smith, Assistant County Engineer Bjorn Hedges and Goldendale resident Daniel Lichtenwald. GIS Operator Kim Gleason was present for the first discussion item, and Equipment Supervisor Steve Nygaard was present through the second item.

GIS Operator Kim Gleason discussed the issue of a proposed fee of $250 for GIS digital data, noting that 4 of the 17 requests received last year were from wind power developers. She asked if it was a good idea to charge for this information when it was going to businesses that were bringing economic development into the county. She stated that she feels that public agencies should be exempt from any fee. Chairman Thayer stated that a fee of $250 would be a small expense to a wind power firm (and insignificant compared to the value of the data). Director Smith agreed and stated that he would provide a draft resolution for Board consideration. Chairman Thayer suggested that the resolution include the fees already established for map reproduction.

Equipment Supervisor Steve Nygaard stated that Ford Motor Company is offering 2004 level prices on certain 2007 trucks that are available through the state bid process and has suggested that the department’s plans for truck purchases be modified to take advantage of the promotion. He noted that heavy duty ¾-ton 2WD crew cabs can be purchased for a little less than $21,500, including sales tax, and recommended that five of these be purchased as a substitute for ½-ton 4WD trucks of about the same price. He noted that the durability and load/passenger carrying capabilities of these ¾-ton trucks appear to meet county needs better and also stated that instead of retiring these trucks on the basis of age, they will consider mileage as a more important factor. Supervisor Nygaard also requested that an additional ¾-ton 4WD extended-cab be purchased as a sign truck, noting that it was scheduled for next year, though adding that their request is for 6 trucks total, rather than the original 5. Director Smith stated that they would present a formal request next week. Commissioner Struck requested a list of those trucks they plan to surplus.

Engineer Hedges said that they opened two bids yesterday on surfacing 1.3 miles of Sixprong Extension Road and the low bidder was the same as the successful bidder for the Hale Road project (McNealy Excavating, Inc.) awarded last week. Chairman Thayer stated that he didn’t understand why the department chose to surface this road, as opposed to other projects. Engineer Hedges stated that he would prepare some background information for the Board.

Engineer Hedges stated that a mechanic at the Goldendale shop has submitted his two week notice, while the other mechanic is on a temporary medical leave, and they would like Board approval to advertise and fill the position being vacated. The Board reached consensus to approve, with formal approval being scheduled for the afternoon regular session.

Engineer Hedges proposed a plan to make improvements to Olson Road and Otis Anderson Road by using a county grader manned by a retired grader operator, who is also a resident of the area. The Board stated that they would consider the suggestion.

Engineer Hedges stated that work will start at the end of this week on repairs to the Annex 1overhang. Director Smith added that they will attempt to leave the main entrance open as much as possible and when it must be closed, visitors will be directed to an entrance just to the west in the Planning Department.

Director Smith and Engineer Hedges requested a variance from the county’s burn-ban to allow camp fires at the Trout Lake Park, just for the Labor day weekend. They stated that many campers have cancelled reservations because recreational fires are not allowed and they will have an attendant on hand throughout the entire weekend and will prohibit fires if wind or extreme heat makes conditions unsafe. Commissioner Struck responded that the county should base its decision on the opinion of the local fire chief. Commissioner Frey stated that campfires are now present in the National Forest, though it was uncertain whether they are being allowed or staffing shortages in the United States Forest Service are causing enforcement problems. She added that a full-time park attendant or camp host is needed at Trout Lake Park for several reasons, including countering the recent wave of vandalism. Commissioner Struck agreed.

Director Smith asked if the Board has reviewed the letter he has drafted to the Columbia River Gorge Commission regarding the “De Minimus Violations” associated with last year’s Canyon Road project. The Board stated that they approve the letter being sent.

Responding to Commissioner Frey’s request from last week, Engineer Hedges stated that Fisher Hill Road has an ADT (Average Daily Traffic) of approximately 95 cars per day as measured at the southern end, adding that their average speed was 20 MPH.

Engineer Hedges proposed a plan to pave NW Lincoln Street next year to a width of 20 feet and then section off a 4 foot wide pedestrian path to one side, noting that he has discussed the proposal with one resident who has been critical of other county plans in the past, but is receptive to this. Commissioner Struck voiced support for the idea.

Director Smith noted a double fatality accident on Alderdale Road last weekend. Chairman Thayer stated that he understood that one of the vehicles was traveling at a very high rate of speed, probably in excess of 100 MPH. He noted that well engineered and constructed roads cannot compensate for reckless driving.

Commissioner Frey said that she got reports that a road crew did a great job of cleaning culverts along Lake Road.

Commissioner Struck asked if the department had contacted Fred Robinson, a resident of Little Mountain Road in Trout Lake regarding his concerns about a flood water diversion project being done by his neighbor. Director Smith responded that they had discussed the matter with him.

Morning Workshop Session – Tuesday, August 22, 2006 (Continued)

11:12 AM – Economic Development Department Update

Attendance: Economic Development Director Michael Canon, Chief Financial Officer Glen Chipman, Associate Air Quality Engineer with Air Sciences Wayne Wooster, Klickitat County Public Economic Development Authority (EDA) member and county consultant Miland Walling, and Goldendale resident Daniel Lichtenwald.

Director Canon said that he attended part of the Columbia Gorge Regional (Dallesport) Airport board meeting last Thursday, August 17, but had to leave early due to other obligations. He noted that EDA member Miland Walling reported that he has been pursuing federal grants for the airport, and although his initial effort wasn’t successful, he will continue his pursuit as there is the possibility that unspent funds might be obtained later. Director Canon also noted discussion at the airport meeting regarding community water needs in Dallesport and stated that he would like to reschedule the next EDA meeting from October 12 to September 14, in part, to deal with this important issue. The Board tentatively agreed to reschedule the EDA meeting to September 14, though Executive Secretary Cris McEwen stated that there may be some scheduling difficulties with that date.

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Engineer Wooster presented highlights of the August 9, 2006 Technical Memorandum prepared from publicly available data by Dr. Kent Norville of Air Sciences titled “Updated Air Quality Trends for the Columbia River Gorge”. Engineer Wooster began by noting that efforts to remove the term “Class 1 Airshed” from the Columbia River Gorge management plan were finally successful, noting that this classification should be reserved for such areas as national parks and is inappropriate for a major transportation corridor. He added that even the possibility of enforcing rules to create a Class 1 Airshed no doubt had a chilling effect in terms of trying to recruit new businesses to the region.

Engineer Wooster stated that the two major points made by the Technical Memorandum are that there is a 10 to 15 year trend of better air quality in the Gorge, and measurements of the various pollutants show that virtually all are well below the standards that have been set. He added that the one pollutant that shows no trend up or down is particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns (PM_2.5). He noted however that this pollutant has remained stable, and others such as ozone have actually gone down despite increases in population and in the number of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the Portland/Vancouver region.

Engineer Wooster stated that there has been some controversy in that the United States Forest Service has stated that concentrations of nitrates have gotten worse in the last two years; however when they tried to analyze the data, there appeared to be a sampling problem that was caused by an equipment change in 2000. He noted also that there have been allegations that visibility in the Gorge is getting worse, but Air Sciences could not identify any data that would support this, and considering the reduction of various pollutants, including larger particulate matter, it seems unlikely that visibility has been reduced.

Engineer Wooster suggested that this Technical Memorandum be presented, either by Director Canon or by a Board member, at the September 12 Columbia River Gorge Commission meeting. Commissioner Struck stated that he would make himself available for this meeting. Director Canon said that this study is very timely and important to the region. Engineer Wooster proposed that Air Sciences continue their work on air quality issues, suggesting that $20,000 would allow them to continue technical representation of Klickitat County, $6,000 for the remainder of 2006, and $14,000 for 2007. The Board expressed support for this continuing effort.

Lunch Recess

The Board recessed for lunch at 12:05 PM.

Call to Order/Roll Call

Regular Meeting for Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Chairman Ray Thayer reconvened the meeting at 1:14 PM.

Commissioners present: Ray Thayer, Don Struck and Joan Frey.

Agenda

Business Agenda

Approved (M/Frey, S/Struck. Passed unanimously) the Business Agenda with two additions: an Amendment to the Klickitat County Lead Entity Operational Grant Contract with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and an Authorization to Hire a Shop Mechanic in the Goldendale Road Shop.

Approval of Commissioner Meeting Minutes

There were no meeting minutes requiring approval at this time.

Citizen Comment

There was no one present wishing to provide public comment.

Miscellaneous Reports/Comments

Senior Services Director Roger Gadway presented a summary of the August 18, 2006 meeting of the Aging and Disability Services Administration (ADSA) held in Vancouver and attended by himself, representatives from the Human Services Council (HSC) and several elected representatives and county commissioners. At the meeting Dan Murphy, Director of the State Unit on Aging presented a report critical of the HSC alleging a number of things including high administrative costs, inadequate administrative support and low morale at the HSC that has made it difficult for the HSC to administer the Area Agency on Aging (AAA, which in this instance is the South West Agency on Aging). Director Gadway noted that HSC has until September 5 to respond as to how it will correct the situation, and then a decision will be made, either to allow HSC to restructure itself, or form a Council of Government (COG) to operate the SWAA.

Public Meetings/Public Hearings/Bid Openings

Public Meeting – Consider Approval of Boundary Line Adjustment No. BLA2006-11; Applicant: Patricia Kreps

Accepted (M/Struck, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) a road right-of-way for future maintenance of Loop Road and approving Boundary Line Adjustment No. BLA2006-11 which alters the boundary lines of Lots 1 and 2 of Short Plat No. WS-125, the applicant being Patricia Kreps. Associate Planner Jannette Herrington stated in her staff report that the purpose of this adjustment is to make better use of the topography to allow for future division of the property.

Public Meeting – Consider Approval of Boundary Line Adjustment No. BLA2006-16; Applicants: Whidden/Skemp

Approved (M/Frey, S/Struck. Passed unanimously) Boundary Line Adjustment No. BLA2006-16 which alters the boundary between Lot 2 of SP-90-03 and Lot 2 of SPL2005-03, the applicants being William and Heather Whidden and Eric Skemp. Planner Herrington stated in her staff review that the purpose of the adjustment is to allow for view protection.

Public Meeting – Consider Final Approval of Short Plat No. SPL2005-23; Applicant: Danny Jeffries

Granted (M/Struck, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) final approval of Short Plat No. SPL2006-23, which is a re-division of Lot 4 of SP-94-05 to create one additional lot, the applicant being Danny Jeffries.

Elected Officials Report

Auditor’s Office Update

Filling in for Klickitat County Auditor Diana Pafford, Chief Deputy Auditor Pam Pimley presented a request to reorganize the Auditor’s Office by moving one full-time (1.0 FTE) position from the Department of Licensing to Voter Registration and Elections, and to create an additional part-time (0.3 FTE) position in Licensing. This would mean two positions in Licensing (1.0 and 0.3 FTE) and three positions in Elections (1.0, 1.0 and 0.8 FTE). Deputy Auditor Pimley stated that this change is needed because of a greatly expanded workload in Elections due to new federal mandates from the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). She noted that there is an enormous amount of elections training needed, especially to operate the new DAU (Disability Access Unit) voting machines that are required in all polling places across the nation. She added that an alternative would be for Klickitat County to go strictly vote by mail, noting that 34 of the 39 counties in the state are now entirely vote by mail. The Board reached consensus to approve the reorganization.

New Business

Transfer of Funds for Community Development Block Grant 05-64005-027, Community of Klickitat Wastewater Project

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Authorized (M/Struck, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) a request to the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development to transfer funds of $100,000 for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 05-64005-027 for the Community of Klickitat Wastewater Project, from Line Item 14A, Housing Rehab, to Line Item 03J, Sewer Improvements.

Prior to the motion, KPUD (Klickitat County Public Utility District) Grant Administrator Roxie Hunter provided background information to the Board, stating that $100,000 had been set aside for side services that entailed getting within five feet of each residence and this work will be completed sometime next month. She added that since there is grant funding from the Washington State Department of Ecology, easements had to be obtained for the side services and all but two have now been acquired and now the $100,000 must be transferred to a general construction fund.

Administrator Hunter wished to note for the record that she has received excellent cooperation from Executive Secretary Cris McEwen, who has accommodated a wide variety of requests over the years in regard to these CDBG projects.

Amendment #1 to the Lead Entity Operational Grant Contract with WA Department of Fish and Wildlife

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Approved (M/Frey, S/Struck. Passed unanimously) Amendment No. 1 to the Klickitat County Lead Entity Operational Grant Contract with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW Grant #05-2024, County Contract #C20105) for salmon recovery. This amendment extends the closing date to June 30, 2007 and increases the budget by $50,000.

Authorization to Hire a Shop Mechanic in the Goldendale Road Shop

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Approved (M/Frey, S/Struck. Passed unanimously) an Authorization to Hire a Shop Mechanic in the Goldendale Road Shop to be advertised at $15.27 per hour under the union contract. This is to replace an employee who has given his two weeks notice.

Miscellaneous Reports/Comments

Introduction and Update from Jessica Geenen, Liaison for Community Engagement and Social Responsibility with Trident Resources Corporation

Jessica Geenen, Liaison for Community Engagement and Social Responsibility with Trident Resources Corporation, of Alberta, Canada introduced herself and briefed the Board on her company’s activities in Klickitat County. She stated that Trident Corporation is involved in gas exploration activities and they are doing magnetivity measurements and also looking for methane eating microbes in the soil that might indicate the presence of methane, the primary component of natural gas. Ms. Geenen added that they search through historical data and also test the water in wells. She indicated that they are not yet certain whether Trident will drill any gas wells in the county and they are at least six months from even applying for permits.

Consent Agenda

Approved (M/Frey, S/Struck. Passed unanimously) the Consent Agenda in its entirety:

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1. Request for variance to the annual burn ban as requested by Hancock Forest Management (formerly The Campbell Group) for their 10^th annual “pig roast” to be held at their office at Camp Draper, Glenwood, Washington effective from 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 14, 2006 to 5:00 PM on Friday, September 15, 2006.

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2. Resolution #12606 in the matter of denying the Code Compliance Officer authorization to commence proceedings to cause the abatement of a nuisance on Parcel No. 03-21-1751-0602/00 as the nuisance no longer exists.

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3. Resolution #12706 in the matter of denying the Code Compliance Officer authorization to commence proceedings to cause the abatement of a nuisance on Parcel No. 03-21-1751-0702/00 as the nuisance no longer exists.

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4. Interlocal Communications/Dispatch Services Agreement (#C17406) between Klickitat County and the City of White Salmon to provide complete dispatching services to the City effective January 1, 2007, terminating December 31, 2007.

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5. Memorandum of Agreement (#C17506) between Goldendale School District #404 and Klickitat County making the District’s physical facilities and grounds available to the Health Department for use as a mass distribution center for distribution of pharmaceuticals, mass vaccination center, or other related emergency purposes.

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6. Underwood Conservation District request for county support and signature on a “Landowner Willingness Form” allowing use of two county parcels to conduct surveys and outreach activities regarding the New Zealand Mud Snail, an invasive species.

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7. Memorandum from the Planning Department scheduling a public meeting for 1:30 PM on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 to consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval for a zoning amendment to the General Industrial Zone.

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8. Local Agency Agreement (#C17606) between Klickitat County and the Washington State Department of Transportation for repair of slide damage to the BZ Glenwood Highway.

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9. Resolution #12806 in the matter of appointing a member to the Water Resource Inventory Area 31 Planning Unit.

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10. Amendment A (#C17706) to Task Order No. 10 of the Technical Services Agreement between Klickitat County and Watershed Professionals Network (WPN) Agreement No. C24803, effective August 1, 2006.

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11. Scheduling a bid opening for 1:30 PM on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 for the abatement of a nuisance on Parcel No. 05-18-3100-0001/00.

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12. Request to enter into a contract with the Motorola Company to engineer nine radio sites to implement the County’s Emergency Management radio plan.

Elected Official Report/Update

Stay Granted to Allow Initiative 747 to Remain in Effect

Klickitat County Assessor Van Vandenberg stated that the Washington State Supreme Court has granted a stay to allow Initiative 747 to remain in effect pending an appeal on its constitutionality, and this makes it much easier for his staff to do their job. (Initiative 747 was passed in November 2001 and limited taxing districts to a 1% annual increase in property tax levies, unless approved otherwise by the voters in that taxing district. King County Superior Court Judge Mary Roberts ruled in June of 2006 that Initiative 747 was unconstitutional.)

Prosecuting Attorney Update

Prosecuting Attorney Tim O'Neill stated that they have received two applications for the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney position now being advertised.

Prosecutor O’Neill stated that his office is opposing an award of fees/rate of fees in a matter titled “State of Washington versus Altman, et al” that involves East District Court Judge Brian Altman.

Payment Approvals

Voucher Certification and Approval

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Approved Warrants (M/Struck, S/Frey. Passed unanimously):

Accounts Payable: (#158212 – 158427) $569,535.55

There were no payroll/benefits warrants requiring approval at this time.

Road Department Payments

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Approved (M/Frey, S/Struck. Passed unanimously) Progress Payment No. 1 to AC Construction in the amount of $14,921.51 for the Nelson/Ratliff Sewer Connection project.

Budget Workshop

2007 County Fair Preliminary Budget

Klickitat County Fair Treasurer Kay Carr, with Chief Financial Officer Glen Chipman present, discussed the 2007 County Fair preliminary budget, beginning with projected revenues and then continuing to the expenditure side. The anticipated budget is $179,570, which is a proposed increase of $13,700 from this year. She stated that the Fair Board appreciates the continuing support given by the Board of Klickitat County Commissioners.

Miscellaneous Reports/Comments

Discussion of Bids for Pioneer Center Artwork

Building and Compliance Director Skip Grimes and the Board discussed two bids that were received two weeks ago on August 8 for artwork to be created for the Pioneer Center. Upon closer examination it was decided that some clarification was needed in order to determine what was being supplied and at what cost, by the apparent low bidder. Director Grimes recommended not awarding a bid at this time until he could research and clarify the situation.

Adjournment

There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM.

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Reference Document on File