Plan to move emergency management to public works draws criticism

County Administrator Robb Van Cleave noted the county is required to have two dispatchers on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and to do it properly requires 10 people. Currently there are five.

“To put that kind of load on five people, we’re gonna burn out folks,” he said. “We’ve already had to adjust vacation schedules, and we’re to the point where if we lose one more, it would be extremely critical. It’s a stressful environment.”

The $137,000 contract buys the county 1,773 hours of coverage for two fully trained dispatchers. Any hours not used up in the first four months will carry over to the next period if necessary.

The county also had an unbudgeted $7,800 cost to renew a fleet management software contract was expiring imminently. The software had proven itself when a person claimed they were in an accident involving a county vehicle, and the software was able to prove that no county vehicles were present anywhere near the scene of the alleged accident.

Van Cleave also floated the idea of moving civil service responsibilities from the clerk’s office to Human Resources (HR). That would allow a proposed half time HR position to be funded for a full-time position.

But an earlier decision to move Emergency Management into the Public Works Department, drew criticism from the undersheriff and volunteer fire chiefs. Sarah Hancock, Chief of High Prairie Fire District 14 presented an open letter signed by 12 of the 17 fire chiefs in the county, which read in part:

“This change was announced after the decision had already been made, without convening the Emergency Management Executive Board, and without meaningful dialogue with emergency response partners ... Emergency management is not a clerical function that can be reassigned without consequence ... Reassigning this mission to a department whose primary work is not public safety creates immediate risk ... The one and a half week transition is not a responsible timeline.”

Undersheriff Carmen Knopes decried what she characterized as a lack of transparency. “Have some meetings, talk to all of us who are directly impacted,” she said.

“That hasn’t been done.

Commissioners also held a bid opening for a maintenance contract that drew seven responses. The public works department will check the bidder’s qualifications and return with their recommendation.

Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved:

• A service agreement to update the jury management system with Tyler Technology Software.

• A 3-year contract with Mountaindale Maintenance for janitorial services

• A contract with Granite Construction Co. for  Snowden Road overlay.

• A 2-year contract with Pray Electric and Construction LLC for on-call electrical services.

• An agreement with WAGAP for a community development block grant.

• An interlocal agreement with the City of Bingen for district court services for West District Court.

• A preventive maintenance agreement for Wood Gulch bridge.

• A resolution concerning Designated Crisis Responders.

• A resolution reappointing members to the Klickitat Lead Entity Technical Committee.

• A series of resolutions reappointing Commissioner Lori Zoller to various boards and committees, including the Landfill Gas Improvement Committee, the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport Board, and to the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and Disabilities Council of Government Board for 2026, with Senior Service Director Sharon Carter  as an alternate.

• Resolutions appointing Commissioner Todd Andrews to various boards and committees, including the Workforce Development Council and the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District Board for 2026.