Klickitat County BOCC – October Budget Hearings Summaries

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📅 October 2, 2025 - Budget Hearings Day 1

⚖️ Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

Prosecutor David Quesnel opened with a sobering account of shrinking state support and rising case complexity.

• Grant and Revenue Losses
  • Two long-standing state grants for victim and witness services were eliminated, costing the county roughly $10,000 shared with Goldendale and White Salmon.
  • The legislature also repealed the $200 crime-victim penalty fee, cutting another $20 - $30k annually. Promised backfill funds never arrived.
  • The office has dropped from 1.5 FTE to 1.0 FTE for victim assistance, with the gap absorbed into the general fund.
• Caseload and Legal Complexity
  • Post-State v. Blake drug-law changes have reduced filings but made cases more complex, especially those involving mental-health commitments and competency hearings.
  • Toxicology backlogs of 18-22 months are delaying DUI prosecutions to the edge of the statute of limitations.
  • The prosecutor described the workload as “under-resourced compared to counties half our size.”
• Technology and Compliance Costs
  • Body-camera video has improved accountability but created an avalanche of digital evidence requiring redaction and secure storage, without extra state funding.
  • Quesnel warned of AI misuse in legal filings, citing disciplinary cases in other states, and said the office is reviewing state rules on archiving AI-generated material.

⚖️ Why Klickitat’s Prosecutor Warned About AI in Legal Filings

During Klickitat’s October 2 budget hearing, Prosecutor David Quesnel cautioned that artificial intelligence tools could create serious ethical and legal risks in public offices.

He pointed to recent cases where attorneys faced sanctions for relying on AI-generated filings that contained fabricated legal citations—including a widely publicized 2023 New York case where lawyers were fined for submitting fake case law produced by ChatGPT (Washington Post). Similar incidents in Colorado and California have since prompted state bar associations, including Washington’s, to issue advisories on AI use.

Quesnel warned that while large firms can vet software through internal compliance teams, small rural prosecutor offices lack the staff and IT oversight to guarantee accuracy or confidentiality. He noted that Washington’s public-records law may also treat AI-assisted drafts as discoverable records, requiring agencies to archive screenshots or metadata for transparency.

Until clearer state standards emerge, his office is avoiding AI-generated text in all legal work to protect the county from malpractice exposure, sanctions, or data leaks.

🗂 County Clerk’s Office

Laurie Filion highlighted both small wins and major funding erosion.

• Revenue & Grants
  • A modest +$9 k increase in child-support enforcement funding.
  • Offsetting declines in filing fees and LFO collections (Legal Financial Obligations, which are debts like fines, fees, and restitution imposed on individuals after a criminal conviction) with new income: passport photos ($15 each), passport processing fees (~$9 k per year), and electronic copy fees.
• Jury-System Modernization
  • Proposed replacing the failing DOS-era system with Tyler Technologies’ web-based jury platform, allowing online questionnaires via QR-coded postcards.
  • Judges endorsed the plan for better juror privacy and participation.
• Staffing & Tax Impacts
  • Requested deputy-clerk reclassifications to match courtroom duties.
  • Warned the new state digital-products tax will raise costs for software and training subscriptions starting 2026.

🛣 Public Works & Solid Waste

Public Works reviewed landfill operations, bridge maintenance, and the need to rebalance road-fund reserves after fire-related overtime.
Solid Waste reported stable tonnage but higher transport costs; commissioners discussed equipment-replacement pacing amid workforce shortages.

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🏥 Health Department Budget Highlights – October 2, 2025 Workshop

Erinn Quinn, Director of Public Health, spoke about persistent gaps in both infrastructure and staffing, and emphasized how Klickitat’s small size often results in being overlooked in funding allocations. Her presentation included:

💰 Funding Priorities:

• Workforce support remains critical: limited FTEs make it difficult to respond to overlapping responsibilities (disease surveillance, community education, inspections, etc.)
• Emphasis on pursuing federal rural health grants, especially those tied to behavioral health and community outreach
• A push for upgrading IT systems and case tracking tools, as current infrastructure limits efficiency

🧠 Behavioral Health & Substance Use:

• Quinn noted that the opioid crisis continues to pressure local systems, but highlighted mental health disparities as an even more complex and long-term concern
• Echoed themes from Dr. Ruiz’s later Bingen presentation: youth mental health, coordination gaps between schools and health providers, and the strain on EMS and police for crisis response

📉 Underserved Populations:

• The department continues to see high demand in rural east-county areas, where transportation and provider access remain acute barriers
• COVID-era funding helped build some capacity, but most of those funds have now sunsetted, leaving programs vulnerable

📋 Other Needs:

• Training on trauma-informed approaches, both internally and in coordination with emergency services
• Expanded role for community health workers, especially in housing-related outreach and health equity work

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📅 October 7, 2025 - Budget Hearings Day 2

🏗 Public Works Department

• Reported completion of the 2025 countywide striping program and Cook Road FEMA project.
• Airport infrastructure upgrades continue, including paving and detention-pond installation.
• Courthouse HVAC replacement and fairgrounds ADA upgrades are underway.

🏠 Building Department

• Proposed permit-fee increases effective Jan 1 2026:
  • +10 % for residential construction.
  • Switch to ICC valuation-based rates for commercial, averaging ~38 % higher.
• Highlighted the launch of the SmartGov online permitting portal so applicants can track approvals without multiple calls.
• Discussed coordination with local fire districts on Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) mapping; state adoption expected mid-2026.

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📅 October 9, 2025 - Budget Hearings Day 3

🚨 Emergency Management

• Presented wildfire-recovery expenditures and federal reimbursement grants.
• Commissioners pressed to ensure one-time disaster funds build long-term readiness, like siren upgrades and inter-agency training, rather than short contracts.

👩‍💼 Human Resources

• Outlined 20-30 % projected increases in insurance premiums and rising labor-agreement costs for 2026.
• Discussed recruiting challenges and potential wage-scale adjustments to reduce turnover.

👵 Senior Services

Director Sharon Carter detailed progress on transportation and nutrition programs:

• Secured two Area Agency on Aging grants, for Volunteer Connections (0.6 FTE) and a fruit & veggie home-delivery program.
• Announced a new Lyle connector transit route linking Bingen/White Salmon to Goldendale and The Dalles in 2026.
• Warned of uncertain Medicaid reimbursements amid growing meal-delivery demand.

⚰️ Coroner & Civil Service

• Reported minor budget adjustments and stable staffing; discussed modernization of case-tracking software and body-transport contracts.

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🔍 Themes Across All Hearings

• Fiscal Caution: Commissioners continue deferring new hires until sustainable revenues are clear.
• Modernization: From the Clerk’s QR-code jury notices to SmartGov permitting, departments are pushing to digitize public services.
• Justice System Squeeze: The Prosecutor and Clerk detailed a widening gap between state mandates and funding support.
• Community Services & Recovery: Fire-recovery funding and senior mobility remain priority areas, with focus on durability beyond grants.

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🗓 Next Steps & Participation

💻 Join Upcoming BOCC Hearings
All meetings are open to the public and streamed live via Zoom.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/586587651
Dial-in: 1 (669) 900-6833 | Meeting ID: 586 587 651

🕒 Upcoming Sessions

• Tuesday, October 15 – Continued 2026 budget hearings and department updates
• Tuesday, October 22 – Regular session and budget adoption discussion
• Tuesday, October 29 – Public comment wrap-up and year-end planning preview

📬 Submit Written Comments
Email bocc@klickitatcounty.org by noon the day before the meeting to have your comment acknowledged on record.

📍 In-Person Location
Klickitat County Services Building – Room 201
115 W Court Street, Goldendale, WA