Commissioners address timber, engineer succession

Wahkiakum County commissioners discussed timber revenue and the succession process for the county public works director.

Representatives of the state Department of Natural Resources said the county could expect close to $800,000 this year from harvest of state-managed county trust timber.

District Manager Steve Ogden reported that timber prices had dipped in the winter but started to increase recently, indicating the 2015 timber sale could generate higher revenue than earlier estimated.

Ogden added that the 2016 timber sale has an estimated value of $1.4 million, and 2017 logging could produce $850,000.

The county depends on revenue from trust timber sales to support its Current Expense Fund, which finances most courthouse departments.

Ogden and Regional Manager Eric Wisch spent time discussing timber management policies, including the update of the state's sustainable harvest plan.

Commissioner Dan Cothren commented that the county's ability to increase its return is limited by the amount of timber which is at a harvestable age and also by the amount of timberland in the county trust. The trust has almost 13,000 acres, and 3,000 of those acres are locked up as habitat for endangered marbled murrelets.

The constraints make it hard for the county to increase harvest during times of revenue shortfalls.

"The DNR has been trying to accommodate extra harvest," Cothren said. "We don't have the land base. That's the bottom line."

In other business, commissioners and department heads discussed plans for staffing when Pete Ringen, public works director and county engineer, retired this fall.

Last winter, officials had planned to promote Permit and Building Coordinator Chuck Beyer to the position of public works director and hire a consultant to support and engineering assistant until he completed certification necessary to be a county engineer. However, that employee subsequently resigned.

Now, officials are planning to make Beyer the public works director and hire a part-time engineer to serve as needed. They also are considering hiring a building inspector to assist Beyer in that area.

Commissioner Mike Backman suggested Beyer might need management training in order to handle the much larger staff than he now directs.

"Does he need management training," Backman asked. "For me to feel better now, I would like that."

Also Backman said, he would like to see the engineer's positon advertised "so we can see what's available."

Commissioner Blair Brady commented that training is available, should Beyer need it, and that the job could be advertised.

Commissioners asked Beyer to prepare a possible job description for an assistant.