GOLDENDALE — Klickitat County Commissioners heard a few positive reports at their Sept. 16 meeting. Planning Director Scott Edelman said a lot of people are working on rebuilding after the recent Burdoin Fire.
“It’s going well,” he said. “We have great communications with the Gorge Commission staff. They seem very committed to try to help people rebuild. So far, we’ve only actually received one application. I believe it was for an accessory structure. We do expect to see more of it. I just want you to know that relationship is going very well and the communication has been excellent.”
And Edelman said there was another possible ray of sunshine for the future. He wants to make accessory dwelling units (ADUs) an outright permitted use instead of requiring a conditional use permit, which costs applicants extra time and money.
“I think we are far enough along, it would save people money and time,” he said. “It would also free up the staff and help us get more efficient.”
Supplemental budget passed
The afternoon session saw commissioners pass a supplemental budget for the year. The original request was for $2.5 million, but $1.5 million of that was to increase the line of credit for the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport project. Some of the other items were to add in grants that had been received.
The actual amount of new income that would have to be raised as a result of the initial supplemental budget would have been $538,300.
When it came time to make a motion, though, commissioners removed four items, three of them from a $239,182 Sheriff’s Department request. They were $101,843 for an administrative position in the department, $34,177 for the position’s benefit package, and $63,389 to replace money paid out for unused sick leave to officers who retired during the year.
Commissioner Ron Ihrig said the sick leave funds would definitely be replaced, but wanted to wait until the end of the year. In a department as large as the sheriff’s, there can be some leftover unexpended funds, and he wanted to see how much thee might be towards covering those payouts.
The fourth item was $12,570 removed from a $41,101 Emergency Management Department request. The department said that had been a placeholder in case they felt there was a need to hire a planner to help with recovery following the Burdoin Fire. Instead, the department found that a number of agencies, including Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, were working on fire recovery, including a resiliency group that had been meeting since COVID.
Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved:
• A second extension request for short plat, SPL 2022-27, Clark/Pimley
• Final acceptance and release of contract bond for the Sundale/Old Hwy 8 Project CRP 359.
• Supplemental agreement #5 with Applied Archaeological Research, Inc. or on-call archaeological services.
• Purchase of a MowerMax Mower with attachments from Atmax Equipment Company for $470,364.54, including tax, delivery and warranty.
• Execute the contract bond for the Pioneer Center HVAC replacement project 2025, C14025.
• Execute the contract bond for the Klickitat County Courthouse HVAC replacement project 2025, C14125.
• Letter of support for periodic update grant from the Department of Commerce.
• A public hearing on October 7, 2025, at 1:30 PM to consider a criminal justice tax for Klickitat County.
• Letter of support to the Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation.
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