Klickitat County Commissioners kicked off their March 25 meeting by grappling over what should and shouldn’t be included in the minutes.
Commissioner Dan Christopher submitted a change to the minutes from the March 12 meeting. He asked that a section of the minutes be removed because, he said, that section contained opinion, not fact.
He cited Robert’s Rules of Order, which says that minutes are the official record of what is done at a meeting, not what is said. Opinions or judgments should be omitted and the minutes presented neutrally. Doing so also allows absentees to see what was discussed from an impartial point of view.
Chair Lori Zoller said she had consulted with legal counsel who told her that meeting minutes belong to the county clerk and that was a deliberate separation of power.
“The clerk and her staff capture the information of the meeting and present the meeting minutes in the agenda,” Zoller said. “We have to talk about that in public if we’d like any changes.”
Commissioner Jacob Anderson noted that when he was on county staff, the clerk would circulate draft minutes to all department heads for corrections or revisions and then to the commissioners. Both those practices will no longer be followed. While commissioners will still be able to receive draft copies of the minutes, any changes will have to be proposed and voted on in open session.
“I’m excited,” said Christopher, “if this is the direction the board chooses to go, because I do think commissioners should not be changing or editing or rewording minutes secretly, and not in front of the general public.”
Following a public comment period, in which several people expressed concern about the problems with the Klickitat County jail, Chair Lori Zoller noted that commissioners couldn’t comment due to pending litigation.
“It isn’t a lost subject on us,” she said, “but there is a process that we have to work through. I think the commissioners have come to a Y in the road with this situation, and we’re going to have to start having some very quick, very hard conversations, right away.”
In the afternoon session, during an update from the County Sheriff Bob Songer, Commissioner Zoller offered Songer a chance to comment. Songer declined, citing potential lawsuits.
“I’m not gonna sit here and go into detail on that,” he said, “regardless of what citizen out there wants that information. Same with the Hannah Walker case. We’ve made our decision. They got a problem with it, they can contact an attorney and go after the sheriff. Period.”
Commissioners also considered a request from the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce to waive the county’s fee for use of the covered arena at the fairgrounds for the home and garden show. In the past, the chamber has paid the county $3,100 annually to compact and prepare the soil in the big shed. At the same time, they plan to charge admission this year for the previously free event.
“I don’t know how we could give it to them for free when we’re using road department staff,” said Anderson. "They paid us in the past and now they’re charging admittance. I’m trying to see where that would be a benefit.”
There was good news from Auditor Heather Jobe. Due to statewide redistricting, Klickitat County will have to readjust some of its own precinct boundaries, and the county is up against a tight timeline, with an April 29 deadline, just a week before ballots are mailed out. This is a complicated process, she said, and staff would not be able to complete those changes in time.
In the morning session, Jobe told commissioners that she had a bit of a Hail Mary call to a consultant with expertise in the area, and hoped to hear back that day. Toward the end of the afternoon session, she returned, making the relieved announcement that the firm would be able to take on the project and would be able to deliver the result ahead of the deadline. Best of all, they would do that for just $2,100. Commissioners quickly authorized the expenditure so that the firm could begin work immediately.
And on a positive note, Planning Director Jeff Hunter announced that Oregon Trail Rally, a sports car competition that is part of the national championship, will be returning to Klickitat County
“They like being here,” he said. “They’re going to use Dalles Mountain Road, Oak Flat, and Maryhill Loop Road. They’re also going to have a car show in Goldendale. They’re going to be housed at the school, so it’s going to be a big part of Goldendale.”
Commissioners also approved 14 items in the consent agenda, including:
• A contract between Klickitat County Behavioral Health and a professional recruiting company
• The appointment of Theresa Van Pelt to Klickitat Skamania County Disability Advisory Board
• A date for a public hearing on an application to reclassify land as open space
• Advertising for a vacant maintenance technician position
• A statement of work from a cybersecurity firm that will be funded with a state grant
• A letter of appreciation to Sharon Frazey for serving on the Klickitat County Citizen Review Committee for three years
• Appointing five members to that same committee: Brian Beaulaurier, Todd Collins, John Jorgensen, Don Starkin and Tim Thompson
• The schedule for a Planning Department public meeting for a boundary line adjustment
• The release of the final holdback payment for pavement striping in 2023
• A contract for 2024 pavement striping for $327,369
• A grant agreement with the Washington State Department of Agriculture to help build a sale barn at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds
• The award of a bid for four pickups from C.H. Urness Motors in The Dalles for $184,330.20
• The award of a bid for liquid asphalt from Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions for $445,893
• A resolution rescinding the emergency declaration in response to the January 2024 winter storm.
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