Officials develop plan for erosion district tax

Wahkiakum County officials this week settled the process they'll use to set up a taxing authority for flood control zone districts on Puget Island and at Cape Horn.

Both the Island and Cape Horn have areas where sandy beaches are eroding and threatening outbuildings and residences. County officials have established four "flood control zone districts" (FCZD) to assess property and raise revenue for financing erosion control projects.

County officials said Tuesday they'll spend about $70,000 on preparing permits this year. The money is coming out of the county's Flood Control Fund, which started the year with about $90,000, and county commissioners want to replenish the fund.

In order to begin collections next year, the board of commissioners needs to adopt an ordinance this month establishing the taxing authority and process.

At a meeting Tuesday, Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow said he would prepare two letters to send to property owners in the FCZDs. One will follow a legalistic form required by state statute; the second will essentially provide the same information in layman's language.

Assessor Bill Coons said there are 109 separate properties in the four districts, which are along Ostervold Road, West Sunny Sands and North Welcome Slough roads, East Sunny Sands Road and Cape Horn. Each property owner will receive a letter detailing how the assessments will affect his or her property.

Bigelow will also prepare the ordinance to establish the taxing authority; commissioners said they would hold a public hearing on August 26 and

probably take final action on it August 29 so that it can be in effect September 1 (a formal notice of the hearing may be found in the notices section of this issue--ed.).

The assessments will be spread over six years.

Meanwhile, the US Army Corps of Engineers has reported major progress in preparing legal documents needed to permit the placement of dredged sand on eroding beaches.

The memorandum of agreement between the county and the Corps to set up a10-year beach nourishment program should be ready this week, said Commissioner Dan Cothren.

He said he would personally drive to a rendezvous with Karla Ellis, the Corps project coordinator, to pick up the document and bring it back for review by Bigelow and approval at the board's August 9 meeting.

Also, Cothren said Ellis is working with the Corps legal team to finish the language on the right of entry permits which property owners will need to approve in order to authorize dredging crews to place sand along their shoreline.

"It's good news," Cothren told property owners attending the board's Tuesday meeting. "They're on it. It's just a couple weeks later than we wanted."

There are at least two concerns that could delay sand placement in the two zones with the heaviest erosion--Cape Horn and East Sunny Sands.

First, all property owners in each zone must sign the right of entry permits. If someone refuses, commissioners said, they're prepared to start imminent domain proceedings so they can have right of entry for all parcels in the FCZD.

"That's not what we want, but when you're affecting other property owners, that's a serious situation," Cothren said. "We're trying to do the best for the majority of folks."

Commissioner Mike Backman commented the board would like to have enough time to work with any holdouts to resolve the differences without using imminent domain.

The second concern, Cothren said, is how much sand needs to be dredged at each zone. If there's not enough sand that needs to be dredged from the channel, dredging won't occur, he said.

Cothren thinks some dredging could occur this year.

"I think there is a volume out there," he said. "I see it (dredging) sooner (than 2017). The key is volume.