Background checks on new jail administrator candidate completed, start date to be determined for Klickitat Co.

He also said that background checks on the candidate for new jail administrator have been satisfactorily completed as of that morning, and that they are getting close to determining a start date.

Asked whether that would be days or weeks from now, Van Cleave said he couldn’t commit to that specific a timeline, only that it would happen before the end of the year.

And Fiscal Services Manager Jenn Neil reported that surprisingly large cost overruns in the Sheriff's Office will require another supplemental budget, the county’s third this year.

"This year, there's already been two supplementals approved and the third one pending approval," she said. The first, she said, had been for $130,200, the second for $154,912, and the current one for $613,000. "So, we're looking at $896,000 total in additional budget allocation to the Sheriff's Office," she concluded.

She added that she'd spoken to the sheriff about it. "I did meet with Sheriff Songer, and we went through it," she said. "He said that they're putting a hold on unnecessary spending and being mindful of it."

Commissioners will vote on a supplemental budget in the coming weeks.

In the afternoon, commissioners convened a session of the Klickitat County Board of Health. The board consists of the three county commissioners, and two members of the health profession. Currently, they are Paul Moyer, a physician assistant with a Master of Public Health, and Sunday Sutton, a certified SUDP (Substance Use Disorder Professional.)

Health Officer Dr. Joel McCullough reported the first human cases of bird flu in the state were reported in October in Franklin County. They were agricultural workers who were exposed to infected birds at an egg farm. Most of the cases, he said, involved mild flu-like symptoms and pink eye (conjunctivitis).

As far as vaccinations, he said the three viruses they track — COVID, flu and RSV — are at low levels in the population right now but are expected to rise.

“There’s still time to do the most effective thing to prevent severe illness,” he said. “Get a vaccination. There are vaccines available for all three right now.”

Public Health Director Erinn Quinn said the department was advertising for five professionals. “Two of those are designated crisis responders,” she said. “We also need a crisis case manager, a mental health therapist and a substance abuse peer.”

She said they have been getting very few applications. It wasn’t due to wages, she said, after confirming that the county’s wages are comparable for the area, it was the lack of housing.

Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved an emergency services support grant from the State Military Department and the purchase of three new buses for Senior Services.