County closes one lane of Steamboat Slough Road

Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday authorized the closure of a portion of the eastbound lane of Steamboat Slough Road.

The closure affects an area where the Columbia River is eroding the shoreline and undercutting the dike protecting the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the White-Tailed Deer.

In other business, the board told Assessor Bill Coons they would wait till Coons and a commissioner meet with the Department of Revenue in September to discuss department priorities before acting on a request for transfer to his extra help budget line.

Commissioners also declined to redistrict their commissioner district based on population shifts shown in the 2010 US Census.

Census figures said District 1 had 1,235 voters; District 2 had 1,506, and District 3 had 1,237. Commissioners agreed the size difference was small and they would leave the boundaries as they are.

Dike road danger

Erosion is undercutting the Steamboat Slough dike roadway, said Public Works Director Pete Ringen, and he recommended closing the traffic lane next to the water for safety.

"The deep part of the channel has shifted toward the dike, so it's undercutting the revetment," Ringen said. "There's nothing to hold it.

"It's spooky. At high tide, there's a plume of brown water along the stretch.

Ringen and Commissioner Lisa Marsyla met last week at the site with officials from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and USFWS to discuss the issue, and no one seems to have money or a solution, they said.

"I'm disappointed there's so little interest," Marsyla said. "I don't see any hope at all."

"No one is stepping up to the plate," Ringen said. "The county will have to play a leadership role. A dike breach could affect SR 4 and the refuge."

Ringen suggested the county have a consulting engineer analyze the situation and propose a solution.

Marsyla said the group would meet again September 28 to discuss the situation.

Assessor's request

In a recent evaluation of his office, the state Department of Revenue identified 23 shortcomings that must be addressed, said Assessor Bill Coons.

Coons said the department has fallen behind in meeting state reporting requirements, and he asked the commissioners once again to transfer money into his Extra Help budget line from Professional Services fee line so that he can address the issues.

"They listed 23 requirements where I'm violating the law," Coons said. "I can't fix everything at once. Work was not done prior to my taking office. I'm looking at a way to go forward."

Coons has made the request before, and as they've done before, commissioners didn't act on it.

Commissioner Dan Cothren noted that Coons had hired a temporary clerk using the Professional Services budget line without commission approval.

"You bypassed us," he said. "You hired without permission. "

Commissioners commented that they created the large Professional Services line because they thought that the office would need it for computer program training and service. It was not intended for extra help, a category they reduced for other county offices.

Coons commented the DOR study showed his office started falling behind when the office clerk was reduced from full to half time.

After more discussion, Marsyla said she would accompany Coons to his meeting with the DOR to talk about priorities. She added that county revenues are limited and they'll have to work within their limits.

Cothren recommended that Coons restructure his office to accommodate current funding levels.

"That's just the way it's going to be and that's the way it's got to be," he said.