Minutes - Meeting of Monday, December 23, 2002

Topic

Agenda Item - Comment/Disposition

Call to Order/Roll Call

Morning Workshop Session – Monday, December 23, 2002

Chairman Don Struck called the meeting to order at 10:06 AM.

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

Workshop Session Agenda

10:06 AM – Public Works Department Update

Public Works Director Larry Nicholas began his briefing by discussing the Klickitat Mill site cleanup, stating that Tom Arnold Logging, who was awarded the cleanup contract last week was working on another proposal for the dismantling of other buildings. Director Nicholas said that there are large 14"X14" timbers and other materials that might be used for the Wishram Rail Road Park or the West Klickitat County Pioneer Center. Director Nicholas also noted meetings with the Washington State Department of Health, as well as Labor and Industries, on what needs to be done to complete the cleanup.

Commissioner Frey said that she received an inquiry from Janis Sauter of Lyle with questions regarding the proposal to rename Major Creek Road. Director Nicholas responded that this is a safety/911 issue (caused by confusion because the middle portion is no longer passable). He added that the proposal is simply to rename the two driveable portions as North/South Major Creek Roads.

Chairman Struck noted significant interest on the issue of proposed improvements to Lincoln Street and asked about future meetings. (The Board and the City of White Salmon convened a joint meeting on Wednesday, December 4, 2002). Director Nicholas replied that White Salmon would accept written responses until Tuesday, December 31, 2002. These responses will be compiled and a recommendation will be made. (The City of White Salmon indicated that a second joint meeting would be scheduled for the first part of February.)

Chairman Struck asked about progress on design work for the West Klickitat County Pioneer Center. Director Nicholas responded that the rankings from the five evaluators on the selection committee need to be totaled and finalists determined so that interviews can be scheduled among the top three to five design firms. Director Nicholas noted that the selection committee would make the final determination.

Commissioner Thayer described concerns that he has with a contractor burying telephone cable along Olson Road, noting that excavated material is being temporarily placed on the pavement, thus leaving large amounts of mud. He also stated that a trencher had tipped over and was parked only about three feet off the pavement with no warning cones in use. He suggested that Director Nicholas investigate.

Director Nicholas asked about the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Dallesport Wastewater Treatment Facility. Commissioner Frey replied that it was an excellent presentation and Commissioner Thayer said he was pleased that State Senator Jim Honeyford and State representatives Bruce Chandler and Dan Newhouse could attend.

Chairman Struck asked about the problem of occasional flooding at the City of White Salmon water reservoir. Director Nicholas said there seems to be a shared responsibility for both the county and the city. He stated that he would research the issue further, including potential costs, and would report back to the Board.

Commissioner Thayer asked about county rock crushing plans. Director Nicholas replied that funds for rock crushing and equipment purchases were commingled and this resulted in the department not being able to track crushing funds. He stated that a reserve should have been maintained and built up because there is now only about $80,000 available, while he estimates that about ten times that much is needed for the next three years. He suggested that unless a "loan" from landfill revenues could be obtained, they will only contract out for a smaller amount.

Director Nicholas said that Governor Locke is has proposed the merger of the state’s Transportation Improvement Board and the County Road Administration Board, which would eliminate approximately 80 state positions and significantly change the relationship between counties and the state on road issues. Commissioner Thayer stated that the proposal has been made at least two times before and resisted by the counties.

11:02 AM – Public Health Department Update

Attendance: Public Health Director Kevin Barry, Administrative Division Manager Lori Koch and Program Secretary Angie Kaley.

Director Barry began by discussing the 2003 – 2004 Consolidated Contract between Klickitat County and the Washington State Department of Health (Consent Agenda Item 17) stating that the contract continues programs as they currently exist.

Director Barry then discussed the Contract Agreement with the Educational Service District No. 112 to provide funding from the state for drug and alcohol prevention activities in Wishram and White Salmon (Consent Agenda Item 16). Director Barry noted that Steve White will be the project coordinator and two additional people will be hired, one for each school.

Finally, Director Barry discussed problems with the department’s Ahlers & Associates billing software, that cause downtimes every two to three weeks that may last for four to five days. Participants (including Chief Financial Officer Glen Chipman who just arrived) explored various solutions, including the department’s suggestion to purchase another program. Commissioner Thayer remarked that the Health Department had approached the Board about two years ago (March 2001) to solicit purchase of the Ahlers software program, explaining that it would probably serve their needs for many years. Chairman Struck stated that the department would need to work with Mr. Chipman and Technical Services Manager Mike McKune to research what other counties were using.

11:55 AM – Personnel Issue: Board Review of Replacement Hiring

Personnel Director Lori Wolford requested clarification from the Board on their review of replacement hiring. The Board confirmed that they will review all requests to hire replacements, stating that the department head or elected official will need to justify to the Board the hiring of any replacement for a vacant position before the position is advertised.

Lunch Recess

The Board recessed for lunch at 12:10 PM.

Call to Order/Roll Call

Regular Meeting for Monday, December 23, 2002

Chairman Don Struck reconvened the meeting at 1:09 PM.

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

Agenda

Business Agenda

Approved (M/Frey, S/Thayer. Passed unanimously) the Business Agenda with one addition: approval of meeting minutes for November 4, 2002.

Approval of Commissioner Meeting Minutes

Approved (M/Thayer, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) the Klickitat County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes for October 28, November 4, and November 25, 2002 as presented.

Citizen Comment

Daniel Lichtenwald said that he was concerned that during last week’s Board meeting an "unelected contractor" (Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steve DiJulio) called an Executive Session without benefit of a motion. Mr. Lichtenwald said he feels that Mr. DiJulio does not have this authority and he hoped that the minutes for last week would be an accurate reflection of these events.

On a related issue, Mr. Lichtenwald complained that approval and posting of the Board’s meeting minutes were two months behind. He stated that because county newspapers are "journalistically challenged", the timely posting of meeting minutes on the county’s website is necessary, as it provides important information. He also noted that Skamania County Commissioners, who meet three times each week, approve their meeting minutes the very next week.

Clerk of the Board Larry Gourley replied that he posts and distributes the meeting minutes right after approval, either the very day or the day afterward. This includes uploading the meeting minutes to the county’s website, e-mailing them to the three county newspapers and providing hard copies to various county departments. He added that because he is not an exempt (salaried) employee he has only 40 hours each week to complete all of his duties, including many in addition to composing the minutes.

Chairman Struck concurred that Mr. Gourley has many things that he is involved with and stated that the Board also has many other duties, including the adoption of next year’s budget. He asked Mr. Lichtenwald what he regarded as a higher priority: adoption of the 2003 Budget or review of meeting minutes.

Commissioner Frey added that Board responsibilities and time constraints make it impossible to review and approve meeting minutes as quickly as Mr. Lichtenwald is asking for.

Gretchen Olsen said that she is in agreement with Mr. Lichtenwald and that her prior experience as County Commissioner in Oregon makes her believe that the meeting minutes are too far behind.

Miscellaneous Reports/Comments

Columbia Gorge Regional Airport Update

Columbia Gorge Regional Airport Manager Bill Coles provided a briefing on airport issues beginning with the Shearer’s Lease Renewal. Manager Coles said that he was providing details of this hangar lease agreement because Klickitat County now has equal decision making power stemming from the joint operating agreement. Manager Coles said that the terms of the lease agreement give Mr. Shearer the option of renewing the lease three times, for five years at a time, for potentially a total of fifteen years, after which the property will revert to the airport. Manager Coles noted that financial terms are adjusted for inflation, using the Consumer Price Index, at renewal time.

Manger Coles also provided information on other current lease agreements, including another hangar leased for forty years and others leased on a month by month basis. He also noted that the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) has a five-year lease, and space is leased on an ongoing basis for the ASOS automatic weather system. Commissioner Thayer suggested that the regional airport board should be involved and informed of these agreements.

Commissioner Thayer also noted that City of The Dalles Manager Nolan Young would be back next Monday to discuss the agreement for construction of the ‘T’ hangars at the airport. He stated that the county should have been involved in negotiations with the contractor (because a settlement was agreed to that incurred extra construction expense). Manager Coles stated that he would accompany Manager Young on December 30.

Chairman Struck suggested that insurance and marketing issues could also be discussed at next week’s meeting.

Consent Agenda

Approved (M/Thayer, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) the Consent Agenda except for Item 11, which Chairman Struck suggested should be pulled for further clarification:

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1. East District Court Public Defender Contract for 2003 (#C22902) with Attorneys Rick Hansen and Joy Duggan.

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2. West District Court Public Defender Contract for 2003 (#C23002) with Attorneys Gerald A. Matosich and Christopher Lanz.

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3. Amendment to the Superior Court Public Defender Contract for 2002 – 2003 (#C23102) with Attorneys Rick. L. Hansen, Gwendolyn Grundei and Gerald A. Matosich.

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4. Local Agency Participation Agreement (#C23202) with the Washington State Department of Transportation for paving of portions of Oak Ridge and Rattlesnake Roads.

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5. Certification Acceptance Qualification Agreement (#C23302) with the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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6. Resolution #25702 declaring surplus a 1995 Jeep Cherokee within the Sheriff’s Office and transferring property to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

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7. Resolution #25802 authorizing the Code Compliance Officer to commence proceedings to cause the abatement of a nuisance on Parcel No. 02-13-1660-0117/00/Anthony and Dawna Souza.

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8. Resolution #25902 authorizing the Code Compliance Officer to commence proceedings to cause the abatement of a nuisance on Parcel No. 03-20-2900-0005/00/Fort Fun, Inc./Ed O’Neill.

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9. Resolution #26002 amending the fixed asset policy to increase the threshold for capitalization from $1,000 to $5,000.

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10. Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Application for 2003.

11. (Pulled) Resolution and Amendment No. 1 to Professional Services Agreement with Pearl Communications for them to perform additional work related to development of "branding".

12. Resolution #26102 in the matter of appointments to the Klickitat County Senior Services Advisory Board.

13. Resolution #26202 in the matter of Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Service Agreement (#C23402) with Aspect Consulting, LLC for energy overlay zone technical assistance.

14. Resolution #26302 in the matter of an Engineering Roster Contract for Technical Services, Amendment #3 (#C23502) with Environ, extending their contract through the end of 2003 to represent the county during technical meetings.

15. Resolution #26402 in the matter of an Engineering Roster Contract for Technical Services, Amendment #3 (#C23602) with Air Sciences, extending their contract through the end of 2003 to represent the county during technical meetings.

16. Contract Agreement (#C23702) with Educational Service District No. 112 to provide funding in an amount not to exceed $35,000.00 for drug and alcohol prevention activities in Wishram and White Salmon.

17. 2003 – 2004 Consolidated Contract (#C23802) between Klickitat County and the Washington State Department of Health.

Road Permits

Road Department Permits

There were no Road Department permits requiring approval at this time.

Old Business

Road Department Agreements

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Approved (M/Frey, S/Thayer. Passed unanimously) two agreements:

• 2002 – 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement (#C22702) between Klickitat County and the Washington State Council of County and City Employees representing Local 1533 AFSCME AFL-CIO, covering Klickitat County Road Department Supervisors, and
• 2002 – 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement (#C22802) between Klickitat County and the Washington State Council of County and City Employees representing Local 1533 AFSCME AFL-CIO, covering Klickitat County Road and Survey Crews.

Payment Approvals

Voucher Certification and Approval

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

Accounts Payable: (#119102 – 119295, 93293 – 93295 and including cancelled warrants #118805, 118026, 118404, 105790, 101460, 104692, 102493 and 107162) for a net of $194,542.60. (There were no payroll/benefit warrants requiring approval.)

Road Department Payments

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Authorized (M/Thayer, S/Frey. Passed unanimously) Pay Estimate No. 14 to James W. Fowler Company in the amount of $191,326.80, which includes $8,940.50 retainage for a net of $182,386.30 for the Dallesport Collection System.

Board Pending

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Discussion

The Board discussed Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area issues with Lyle resident Oren Johnson. These included boundary and mapping issues involving the Lyle Urban Growth Boundary.

2003 Budget Issues Update

Chief Financial Officer Glen Chipman discussed 2003 Budget issues with the Board. Mr. Chipman stated that he would have resolutions prepared for the Board’s consideration at next week’s meeting. He also noted that the 2003 Budget would be available for public distribution shortly after Board adoption.

WRIA/Salmon Recovery Issues Update

Planning Director Curt Dreyer and Watershed Project Coordinator Dave McClure discussed WRIA (Water Resource Inventory Area) and other salmon recovery topics. These included sub basin planning and WRIA 29 issues. There was also discussion of Stakeholder Committee matters.

Adjournment

There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 PM.

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Reference Document on File