County formalizes FCZD agreements

Wahkiakum county commissioners on Tuesday took another step toward setting up the fund raising mechanism for their flood control zone districts (FCZD).

Commissioners Dan Cothren and Mike Backman--Commissioner Blair Brady was out of town at a county insurance pool meeting--recessed out of their board of commissioners meeting to convene as commissioners of the FCZD's and interlocal agreements establishing the funding relationship between the county and the districts.

Officials say costs of setting up a beach nourishment program to address erosion in the districts will deplete the county's Flood Control Fund, which is funded from county revenues.

The agreements designate the county as the agent and allow the county to enter into agreements and pay fees to protect properties in the FCZDs, with the districts reinbursing the county.

On Friday, commissioners will hold a special meeting at 9:30 a.m. to meet again as FCZD commissioners and act on resolutions to set the assessments on FZCD properties to raise the funds needed to repay the Flood Control Fund.

The county has prepared letters to be sent to each property owner in the districts to explain the assessments, which will have two parts--acreage and improvement.

Meanwhile, the county will also have to contact property owners within the districts to obtain right of entry permission so that dredging crews could come onto their property when they were depositing dredged sand.

Land owners supporting beach nourishment have said they may hold permit signing parties to get the permits signed and returned quickly to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

County commissioners have said that if not all property owners in a district approve the right of entry, they will use their power of imminent domain so that one or two parties don't hold up erosion protection for others in the district.