GOLDENDALE — At the Dec. 3 meeting, Klickitat County Commissioners passed resolutions moving control of and responsibility for the county jail from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Department to a newly-minted Klickitat County Department of Corrections.
Jacob Anderson, County commissioner
Dan Christopher, County commissioner
In addition to the resolution making the move, which became effective at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 4, three other related resolutions were approved. They were official notification to the Klickitat County Civil Service Commission regarding the transfer, an agreement for pre-employment testing services with Public Safety Testing, Inc., and an agreement with Lexipol, which is a repository for policies and procedures regarding the jail.
Commissioner Jacob Anderson, prior to the votes, thanked the staff. “This has been a very long slog,” he said. Human Resources Director Robb Van Cleave then said it had taken 249 days.
“I have a lot of hope for the future of the corrections department," said Anderson. "I have a lot of faith in our new head of the corrections department, and I hope the Sheriff’s Department and all the other electeds do everything in their power to ensure that it’s a success.”
Commissioner Dan Christopher, who has been a long-term opponent of the transfer, voted against all four. They passed on two-to-one votes.
Another major set of hearings occurred in the morning session, when commissioners approved the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Plan. They also approved the 2025 property tax levies and the county’s 2025 budget.
County Fiscal Manager Jenn Neil summed it up by saying, “To balance the 2025 budget, I propose a multifaceted approach: Expenditures reduced by $1 million, demonstrating our commitment to fiscal responsibility. For the remaining deficit, I recommend splitting the balance between two funding sources — $800,000 from cumulative reserve, which is utilizing the surplus of budgeted revenue from the 2024 landfill operations, and $800,000 from the general fund, drawing on excess earnings received. This strategy achieves balance by preserving programs, staff and essential services and minimizes strain on any single resource.”
No one from the public offered any comment on the budget, which prompted Anderson to note, “This is the most important hearing that we have of the year that directs spending of the county for the next year. It is a very large document and it takes many months to do and we have 72 people online and we have no public comment on that. I remember when Commissioner Christopher and I came in, it was like, ‘How do we increase transparency and get people involved, and people commenting on things that actually matter — that actually direct where the dollars go.’ And after four years, we have nobody commenting on it.”
Commissioners also announced the regular meeting on Dec. 10 was canceled, but set a special meeting for Dec. 9 (after press deadline).
Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved the following for the public works department:
• Authorizing investments of Public Works Department funds.
• Designating three representatives’ authority to sign Washington State Department of Transportation annual and fiscal reports and vouchers payment requests.
• A resolution providing additional compensation for a public works foreman performing foreman duties for two shops.
• A resolution adopting the 2025 annual road construction program.
• A resolution adopting the Six Year Road Transportation Program for the years 2025-2030.
One item was pulled from the consent agenda at the request of Christopher. That was to hold a public hearing on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room on the proposed franchise agreement between Klickitat County and Carriager Solar, LLC.
The hearing passed on a two-to-one vote, with Christopher opposing. He said the matter should be held over to the new year “because the new board of commissioners will have to deal with the result of the decision.”
Commented