Commissioners work on comp plan, fire loan

Wahkiakum County commissioners took steps toward adopting an amended county comprehensive plan Tuesday.

The board voted to split a detailed section on economic development from the plan and use it for an updated county economic plan. They’ll insert a summary of the section supplied by David Goodroe, executive director of the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council, for the economic development segment of the comprehensive plan.

From there, the board tabled work on the comprehensive plan to work out details on issues such as densities in rural residential areas designations for reference to the Town of Cathlamet.

The county planning commission submitted a proposed update of the 20-year old comprehensive plan to the board almost two years ago. The board began working on the draft and has edited out much of the background material originally included in the updated draft.

Commission Clerk Holly Pfenniger will post the updated version on the county’s website.

In other business Tuesday, commissioners approved a loan to Fire District 4 in a 2-0 vote.

The fire district requested the $50,000 loan to pay for asphalting the parking lot at the Rosedale fire station and to pay for improvements to the station’s heating system.

Under the agreement, the county will keep the taxes the district raises for the next three years, until the loan is repaid.

Wayne Flohr, a candidate for county commissioner, questioned the county’s ability to make the loan and asked that Commissioner Dan Cothren, who is running against Flohr, to withdraw from voting on the issue.

Flohr pointed out that the county is facing a $1 million revenue shortfall for 2008, and commissioners have taken a variety of steps to limit spending.

He suggested the county might need the money at some point and commented it would be better to have the money than to lay off a county employee.

Commissioners George Trott and Blair Brady responded that the funds will come out of the Cumulative Reserve for Contingent Liabilities. Funds in that reserve are invested, and the loan will be in effect another investment, drawing 2.85 percent interest.

Cothren, who is a member of the District 4 department and whose son is chief of the department, agreed to recuse himself and took no part in the voting.

Brady moved to approve the resolution setting up the loan, and the motion almost died.

“I have had a hard time with this,” Trott said, “just the project in general. I think that they need to look at their finances and plan for their projects.”

After more discussion, he commented that the loan wouldn’t hurt the county, and seconded the motion, which passed 2-0.