💸 Special Report: Inflation Takes its Toll in Skamania County

💵 Inflation in a Rural County: What We’ve Learned from a Year of Reporting on Skamania Meetings

Over the past year, nearly every public meeting in Skamania County, from the Board of County Commissioners to the PUD and Planning Commission, has circled back to one shared reality: the rising cost of doing everything.

🏛 County Operations & Staff

Departments from Roads to Public Health to the Sheriff’s Office have all noted that inflation is eroding the county’s fixed budgets faster than expected.

• Fuel, vehicles, and asphalt were among the first pain points, the Road Department reported project bids coming in 20-30% higher than estimates.
• Staff recruitment and retention have become harder as the private sector offers higher pay; department heads repeatedly described “losing people we trained.”
• The county’s insurance premiums jumped by over $2.5 million this year, a cost so large that federal relief funds (LATCF) were diverted to cover it.

A Commissioner summed it up in August: “We’re paying yesterday’s prices with tomorrow’s dollars.”

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⚡ Utilities & Infrastructure (PUD & Underwood Water)

Inflation has hit construction, energy, and compliance costs particularly hard.

• The Carson Water Treatment Plant and Underwood system upgrades are now millions higher than originally planned, mostly due to materials, steel, and labor.
• Even BPA’s wholesale power rates are rising, adding pressure to electric bills.
• PUD staff described a “chain reaction”: when vendors’ prices jump, capital plans shrink, leading to higher future costs as delayed projects pile up.
  Despite that, commissioners have kept rate increases modest (3-8%), emphasizing transparency and assistance for low-income customers.

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🏠 Planning, Housing, and Land Use

The Planning Commission’s zoning debates this year, particularly around Underwood and rural parcels, were colored by affordability pressures.

• Inflation in building materials and interest rates has made it harder for residents to build, even where zoning allows.
• Developers and homeowners alike described a “catch-22”: rural zoning rules limit new construction, but inflation makes infill and small-lot development unaffordable.
• Some commissioners voiced concern that without new housing types, rising costs will push younger families out of Skamania County entirely.

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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social Services & Community Impact

Rising costs show up most visibly in human services reports:

• Senior Services added new grants just to replace two aging vans because vehicle prices rose so fast.
• The Homeless Housing Fund now covers fewer motel nights per dollar than before, even as need rises.
• The Public Defender’s Office saw case costs increase by 20% year-over-year, largely from higher expert witness and attorney rates.

One county staffer remarked in July: “Inflation has quietly become our biggest unfunded mandate.”

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🌲 A Common Thread: Local Resourcefulness

Across every agency, leaders are trying to stretch local dollars without raising taxes:

• Skamania has leaned on grants and partnerships more than ever, from USDA Rural Development to the state capital budget.
• Small, incremental changes, like multi-use staff positions, shared vehicles, or joining state purchasing pools, now make a real difference.
• There’s growing recognition that rural cost inflation is structural, not a short-term wave, especially when big-city prices set the baseline for materials and wages.

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🪙 What It Means Going Forward

Inflation has turned “resilience” from a buzzword into a practical survival skill for small governments. The lesson from Skamania’s year of meetings is clear: our local institutions are holding the line, but without growth or new revenue, every new project comes at the expense of something else.

For residents, that’s both a challenge and an opportunity: to advocate for smart investments, speak up when programs matter, and recognize that fiscal restraint and community creativity will increasingly have to go hand in hand.

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🪙 What You Can Do: Taking Action Locally

1. Attend or comment at local budget hearings.
Every dollar decision, from public defense to PUD rates, happens in open meetings. Show up, listen, or send written comments to help shape how funds are prioritized.
📅 Upcoming: County budget hearings run through November; PUD and city councils finalize 2026 budgets around the same time.

2. Share your own story about cost impacts.
Whether it’s higher utility bills, difficulty hiring for your small business, or supply costs affecting your work: these are the real data points policymakers need.
Send your stories and ideas on where you think our community can grow to commiss@co.skamania.wa.us (for the BOCC) or your local city council.

3. Advocate for infrastructure funding.
Local projects, like the Underwood Water upgrades or road safety repairs, depend on outside grants. Legislators need to hear that these are community priorities, not luxuries.
📝 Write to Sen. Paul Harris, Rep. Kevin Waters, or Rep. David Stuebe to urge continued state investment in rural infrastructure.

4. Support or volunteer with local services under strain.
Senior Services, food pantries, volunteer fire districts, and housing nonprofits are all coping with inflation too. Even small donations, rides, or shared supplies make a difference.

5. Ask good questions and share what you learn.
Transparency starts with informed residents. Forward this Dispatch to neighbors, or bring a question to a meeting:

“What has inflation changed in your department’s plans for next year?”

6. Vote, and stay engaged beyond election season.
Budget and rate decisions are where policy meets daily life. Showing up for those details is one of the most powerful forms of civic participation we have in a small county.

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