By Dispatch Squatch in Klickitat Board of County Commissioners — 11 Jun 2025

🏛️ Klickitat County Commissioners Meeting Summary

Road repairs, rental data, and renewable energy debates: Klickitat County Commissioners tackled infrastructure updates, economic development priorities, and public concerns about large-scale solar projects at this week’s meeting. Read on for key takeaways.

June 3, 2025

The Klickitat County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday to discuss infrastructure projects, short-term rental impacts, public safety upgrades, and community planning. Here are the highlights:

🚧 Department Updates

Public Works

Guardrail repairs in Alderdale are moving forward after fire damage.
Road paving near Bickleton may overlap with a local rodeo event.
Projects continue at Trout Lake Park, Superior Court, and the county jail.
A fire alarm issue at the jail was resolved after duct cleaning revealed years of buildup.

Jail

Staff reported a successful de-escalation and mental health intervention.
New surveillance cameras and biometric monitoring systems will be installed this month.
Staffing remains tight, with overtime concerns heading into July.

Economic Development

A countywide short-term rental study is underway, tracking 386 listings from Airbnb and VRBO.
Klickitat’s Goldendale Parks Plan is nearly complete—unlocking access to future state grant opportunities.
A Creative District designation is in the works to spur local economic activity.
Staff are evaluating whether .09 economic development funds could help support housing.

💬 Public Comments

Residents spoke out about solar development:

One resident urged the board to cap total solar acreage in the county.
Others called for impact fees on solar projects to mitigate community disruption.
Commissioners did not take immediate action but acknowledged the feedback.

📝 Afternoon Business

🛠 Bid Opened for Alderdale guardrail repair.
📐 Boundary Line Adjustment approved for Struck/McCrutcheon.
🐾 Animal Shelter grant presentation by Danielle Olsen.

New Behavioral Health fee schedule for substance use disorder services (with a sliding scale).
Contract extension with the Dept. of Ecology for environmental testing at the old Klickitat Mill Site.
Final approval and bond release for the Bickleton area paving project.
Medication lock box partnership approved with the Coalition for Preventing Abuse.
Loan and mortgage agreements finalized for a $5 million federal EDA grant to support airport development.

💵 Financials & Executive Session

Commissioners approved accounts payable and payroll warrants.
Held a closed-door session to evaluate the performance of a public employee.

🔍 Preview: Klickitat County BOCC Meeting – June 10, 2025

The Klickitat County Commissioners will meet Tuesday morning to review updates from several departments, hear a public comment period, and consider contracts, planning items, and financial resolutions. Here's what's coming up:

🕘 Morning Session: Department Updates

Public Works (9:30 AM): Routine updates on construction, maintenance, and facilities.
Sheriff’s Office (10:00 AM): Likely updates on staffing, calls for service, and department needs.
Emergency Management (10:30 AM): A presentation on county wildfire preparedness.

🕐 Afternoon Session: Business Agenda

Approval of Minutes from previous meetings.
Public Comment Period for residents to share concerns.
Consent Agenda (approved in one motion unless pulled):
- Equipment purchase for jail inmate monitoring.
- Contract amendment for bridge inspections.
- Renewed lease agreement with the local Head Start program.
- An agreement for emergency notification services with AlertSense Inc. for public alerts.
- A contract for archaeological survey work related to the airport business park development.

📑 Key Items to Watch

Resolution on Surplus Property: Declaration of surplus and sale of used Public Works vehicles.
Grant Agreement: Accepting state funding for wildfire risk mapping and mitigation planning.
Executive Session: Scheduled to discuss personnel matters and pending litigation (not open to the public).

📂 Meeting Materials & Next Steps

📄 Full Agenda & Documents:
👉 Klickitat BOCC Agenda Packet – June 3, 2025

🗓️ Next BOCC Meeting:
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 9:30 AM
📍 Klickitat County Services Building, Room #201, Goldendale
🔗 Join via Zoom

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