Commissioners OK hiring, Chamber pact

Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday authorized Assessor Bill Coons to hire an experienced appraiser to fill a vacancy on his staff.

Appraiser Michelle Lobue is moving from the area, and Coons wanted to fill the position with a candidate with over 20 years appraising experience.

Commissioners approved Coons's recommendation to hire the new person at a salary level that reflected that experience rather than requiring the person to start at the bottom of the salary schedule. The salary is covered by the budget, Coons said.

Commissioners approved the request but asked Coons why he hadn't hired someone who could be trained for the job.

"My concern is that the wording of the job description makes it very difficult for anyone to step in and get training for the job," said Commissioner Blair Brady.

"Yeah," said Commissioner Dan Cothren. "Are we setting a precedent?"

"This was my first choice," Coons replied. "I wanted someone who can step in and do the job. That's the best thing for the department."

In other business, commissioners learned that aging electronics in the jail need to be replaced.

The jail was constructed in 1994, and electronics are failing, said Communications Officer Vernon Barton.

"In April, our control system suffered a catastrophic failure that required the immediate transfer of inmates to a neighboring facility until repairs could be made," Chief Civil Deputy Joannie Bjorge said.

It took seven days to restore the system, she said, and officers are concerned that the patched up circuits could easily fail again.

Bjorge and Barton had already been preparing a request for proposals to upgrade the system. Barton said three firms replied to the initial query, and estimates ranged from $175,000 to $296,890.

Commissioners agreed that the system needs the upgrade, and they authorized the officers to proceed.

Commissioners also approved a renewal of their contract naming the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce as the county's associate development organization (ADO) for the state Department of Commerce.

It is the responsibility of county-designated ADOs to increase the support and coordination of community and economic development services in their service areas.

Chamber Executive Director Shannon Gildea presented the board a report that showed Chamber activities in the community and to support business so far this year.

"I'm really happy with them," commented Commissioner Mike Backman. "They've made good strides in doing things on both sides of the county."

Cothren and Brady agreed.