County board delays action on petition

Wahkiakum County commissioners delayed action Tuesday on a petition presented last week.

The petition asks that the commissioners either pass an ordinance requiring that "any and all legislation affecting real property in Wahkiakum County" be submitted to voters for approval, or if the commissioners pass no ordinance, they put the issue to voters on the general election ballot.

Commissioners Blair Brady and Dan Cothren said they were awaiting comment from Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow before acting. Bigelow was occupied with a jury trial and didn't have time to research the legal ramifications of the proposed ordinance.

"There are a lot of questions to answer," Cothren said. "We're pretty restricted in what we can do."

Brady said state law has no process for initiative measures at the county level.

The deadline for submitting measures for the general election ballot will be next Tuesday, so the board said they would act on the request then.

The board approved a recommendation from Public Works Director Pete Ringen to lobby the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (LCFRB) to fund a proposed bridge replacement project on the Elochoman Valley Road.

Ringen said the LCFRB's technical advisory committee had evaluated project funding requests, and the county just failed to score high enough to be funded. The project could be submitted again for consideration in two years.

Ringen said he had committed all the county's state road construction funding to the project, and if it is dropped, the county will lose its construction funding for the year.

Commissioners agreed to sign a letter urging the fish recovery board to fund the project.

"I'm optimistic," said Brady, who represents the commission on the board. "We will make a presentation.

The county should be able to continue its solid waste recycling program, Ringen and Cothren reported.

Last week, Ringen had reported that state grant funds for the recycling program would probably be depleted next spring before the legislature renews the funds, if it does.

Ringen, Cothren and other members of the county solid waste advisory board subsequently met with Mike Drumright, recycling program manager for the state Department of Ecology. Drumright explained that the recycling grant money comes from a dedicated source and should be renewed by the legislature without trouble.

"Drumright had really compelling reasons to make us believe that the legislature will restore the funding," Ringen said.

Cothren and Brady agreed that the board should make sure the 2011 county budget has back up funds for the recycling program.

"There are options; none are pretty," Brady said, "but doing nothing is not an option."

"You're right; the recycling bins, we have to have them," Cothren said.

Health Department Administrator Judy Bright presented a mid-year budget report. Revenues are at a level of 53 percent of budget and expenses are at 36 percent of budget.

Expenses are down, she said, because the department has had two unfilled positions for most of the first part of the year.

However, there will be lower revenue because the employees didn't work and the county couldn't bill state grant contracts for the services they would have provided.

The positions have been filled and will generate more revenue during the rest of the year.

County Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick commented that there are no signs of an H1N1 (swine) flu epidemic as occurred last year. The H1N1 vaccine has been included in the formula for this year's vaccine, he said.

Bright said the department has ordered flu vaccine and will work with the Family Health Clinic to offer vaccinations later in the year.