A quick note from the Editor: I started this newsletter because, like you, I can't typically attend public meetings during my workday. It means I'm both dependent on recordings to catch up afterwards, and appreciative of the administrative workload it requires to get these materials uploaded and organized.

So after a brief backlog in posting recordings, Skamania County is getting back on track with a new Clerk of the Board now in place. Welcome to Roni Emerson, who steps into a key role managing agendas, records, and public access to meetings. Essential work for which we are grateful!

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🏛 Skamania County Commissioners Recap - February 18 & 24, 2026

🏥 Public Health Funding: Core Services at Risk

Commissioners discussed potential cuts to Washington’s Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) funding, the primary source supporting local public health work.

These funds help pay for:

• Disease tracking and outbreak response
• Food safety inspections
• Community health programs
• Emergency preparedness coordination

While no immediate cuts have been finalized, commissioners made clear their priority is maintaining these essential services even if funding drops.

“Services need to be the last thing to go.”

🏘 Housing & Homelessness: Ongoing Capacity Gaps

The County is still working to fill open seats on the Homeless Housing Council Advisory Board, with commissioners discussing how to better recruit representatives from across the community.

This board helps guide how housing and homelessness funding is used locally, making these vacancies significant. The conversation reflects a broader challenge: limited administrative capacity in a county facing growing housing and homelessness pressures.

Want to get involved? Skamania County is recruiting for open seats on the Homeless Housing Council Advisory Board. Members help guide how housing and homelessness funds are spent and advise on local priorities and programs.

To apply or nominate someone, email: commissioners@co.skamania.wa.us

🛠 Facilities, Contracts & Capital Projects

Commissioners approved several contracts and small capital projects, including:

• Improvements to county facilities
• Ongoing maintenance agreements
• Routine vendor and service contracts

These smaller investments don’t always draw attention, but they help prevent larger, more expensive failures and keep public spaces and services running smoothly.

🌲 Roads, Infrastructure & Access

The County continues work on long-running infrastructure needs:

• The Wind River Road project is moving forward, with additional engineering work approved to prepare for construction
• Ongoing coordination with state and federal partners on road safety and access

These projects reflect the constant balancing act of maintaining infrastructure across a large, rural county with limited funding.

⚙️ Day-to-Day Government (What Keeps Things Running)

Like most meetings, a large portion of time went to routine approvals that keep county government operating:

• Vouchers (payments)
• Payroll
• Interlocal agreements with other agencies

These interlocal agreements include public health partnerships with Clark County and the Washington State Department of Health, weed and agriculture programs with the Department of Agriculture, transportation services through Community in Motion, and ongoing coordination with state and federal agencies. These agreements allow a small county like Skamania to share resources and provide services it could not efficiently operate on its own.

These decisions rarely get attention, but they represent the bulk of how local government actually functions week to week.

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🏛 February 24 Highlights - Projects, Tourism & Policy Work

🛠 Hegewald Center Remodel Approved

Commissioners approved a $295,500 contract for improvements to the Hegewald Center reception area, a primary county services building.

🎪 Tourism & Event Economy Investments

Commissioners approved a new round of lodging tax allocations supporting tourism and recreation-related activities. While individual awards weren’t discussed in detail, these funds typically support projects like visitor services, events, and recreation access across the county.

This reflects how much the county continues to invest in tourism and event-driven economic activity as part of its economic strategy.

🏕 Camp Wa Ri Ki Workshop

Commissioners held a workshop on Camp Wa Ri Ki, an ongoing discussion about the future of this county recreation site. The county aims to take a closer look at how the property is leased, maintained, and funded.

At recent meetings, commissioners flagged that the current lease dates back to around 2008 and has likely continued through automatic renewals without a full update. Since then, key costs, especially insurance and maintenance, have changed significantly, raising concerns that the agreement no longer reflects today’s financial or legal realities.

🛠 What the Workshop Is Aiming to Do

Rather than a quick contract update, commissioners are planning a deeper workshop to:

• Modernize the lease agreement to current standards
• Reevaluate cost-sharing, including whether lease payments reflect real expenses
• Update liability and insurance requirements, especially important for a youth-focused facility
• Revisit or eliminate rolling auto-renewal provisions

There is also growing interest in whether the current structure unintentionally leaves the county absorbing costs or risk tied to the property.

No decisions were made yet, but this is likely to return as a policy and funding question later this year.

🔊 SR-14 Construction Noise Variance

A public hearing process is underway for a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) request to allow nighttime construction work along SR-14.

While procedural, these decisions can directly affect nearby residents through nighttime construction noise and project timelines.

🧾 Behind the Scenes: Workload & Staffing

These meetings also highlighted how much work is flowing through the county right now, and how important administrative roles are in keeping things moving. From public records requests to contract management and board coordination, staff capacity continues to be a quiet but critical constraint.

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🔎 What Changed In February

• Public health funding risks came into clearer focus
• Hegewald Center improvements and lodging tax allocations were approved
• Housing advisory board vacancies were acknowledged as an ongoing issue

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⚠️ What Escalated

• Staffing transitions and workload pressures became more visible
• Concern over potential public health funding cuts increased
• Housing governance gaps remain unresolved

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🧭 What’s Next

• More clarity on state public health funding levels
• Continued recruitment for housing advisory board positions
• Follow-up discussions on Camp Wa Ri Ki and recreation planning
• Ongoing infrastructure and capital project work

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🏛 How to Join the Next Skamania County Commissioners Meeting

📅 Tuesdays at 9:30 AM
📍 Courthouse Annex, Room 19
240 NW Vancouver Ave, Stevenson

💻 Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88906321210

📞 Phone (audio only):
1-253-215-8782
Meeting ID: 889 0632 1210

🗣 Public comment is taken at the beginning of the meeting
✉️ Written comments: commissioners@co.skamania.wa.us (by noon the day before)