Status update: County Council talks progress, issues

According to Clark County Manager Shawn Henessee, the county he serves as executive of has “an embarrassment of riches.” He said that the geography has made Clark County an attractive place to relocate which in turn has led to rapid growth, both a boon and a challenge for the local government to handle.

Henessee was the last speaker during the State of the County address hosted in the county hearing room March 6. Joining him were all five county councilors who talked achievements made and issues faced by the government as it looks into 2019.

Clark County Council Chair Eileen Quiring focused on strides at the county community development department and its director Mitch Nickolds who assumed the role last year. She mentioned the department had focused on streamlining the permit process with a goal of turning over permits in 15 business days, from application submission to issuance for new rural homes and commercial development more than 4,000 square feet.

Quiring said that the department has reduced customer waiting times from an average of 33 minutes to 10, and according to a customer satisfaction kiosk installed in the permitting center, there’s a 93 percent approval rating of a new counter and workflow arrangement.

Quiring also mentioned that the department was able to bring county animal control back up to full staffing following the firing of several officers last year for policy violations.

“We need to give kudos to Mitch and his team,” she said.

Councilor Temple Lentz touched on social and community services the county provides, leading with the ongoing measles outbreak. As of the event, the outbreak has cost the county more than $600,000 and has put other critical work for Clark County Public Health on hold.

Lentz mentioned a visit by U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, saying he praised the county’s work on the outbreak. 

Lentz also brought up the county’s mandate from the state to provide indigent defense for court cases, something that since 1980 had been handled in a contractor-based model as opposed to internal attorneys. She mentioned that since 2009 those contractor fees have remained flat.

“Though Clark County is the fifth-largest county in the state, we have the seventh-lowest spending in public defense per capita,” Lentz said, which results in difficulty finding contractors for it. She said it was a “key issue” the council was working to address by reviewing the funding model and advocating with other local governments for increases in state funding.

Lentz said housing supply was another issue the county faced, specifically for lower- and middle-income individuals and families. She said the county has worked to combat the issue with  new policy regarding cottage and manufactured housing as well as accessory dwelling units. 

Councilor Julie Olson addressed the council’s work to lift an urban holding overlay from land near the Interstate 5/Northwest 179th Street interchange, of which 40 acres had already been lifted. She noted that in order to lift the designation the county must show that infrastructure improvements needed for positive urban growth will be reasonably funded. To meet that end, the county created a stakeholder group who, according to council documents, will present their findings this week.

“Economic opportunity here is significant,” Olson said.

Councilor John Blom talked about a few of his assignments on governing boards in the county which included a place on the Southwest Washington Council of Governments on Aging and Disabilities, the board that governs the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities.  

The agency coordinates dozens of programs, with Blom highlighting the Health Home program in particular. The program connects client advocates with individuals who require services and Blom said that the coordination of preventative care has saved Medicare and Medicaid programs millions in the county.

Blom also pointed to his service on the C-Tran board. He talked about The Vine bus rapid transit program which began in 2017, noting that it has resulted in a 45 percent increase in ridership in its first year in relation to comparable bus lines the previous year. 

Councilor Gary Medvigy brought a newcomer’s perspective, having only been a part of the board following an appointment in late January. Though he admitted some trepidation on how the county operated going into the job, he assured the audience that the government was unified in its mission.

“The people that are here are working together,” Medvigy said. He spoke about the behind-the-scenes work the council does on issues — attending work sessions and reading reports — assuring they were looking at county business “in detail.”

Medvigy also lauded Public Health’s measles response. A retired U.S. Army Major General, he commented that a “command post” established and manned in large part by volunteers had been more than adequate with its handling of the outbreak.

“It rivaled any military command post that I’ve ever seen in its efficiency in how to attack this crisis, and still is doing so today,” he said. 

Medvigy mentioned one issue that the county has had on pause for months — that of industry coming to certain sections of the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad. He said railroads were an integral part of the region’s heritage and history.

“I know there’s a lot of contentious issues out there,” Medvigy said about the development, adding that there was still much work to be done to ensure that any development would be compatible to that history.

Following the councilors, Henessee talked about ongoing work to look at jail replacement, mentioning that the council was looking to get a recommendation from a committee tasked with replacement this summer. Outside of inmate capacity and modernization, Henessee noted a new jail could impact the location of the county prosecutor’s office and family law courtrooms.

Henessee also touched on county growth, specifically with regard to the latest update of its comprehensive growth management plan. Currently, the county is appealing a state board decision that states parts of the update did not comply with the state Growth Management Act.

While considered out of compliance the county is not eligible for money from the state Public Works Trust Fund which leads to increased costs, Henessee explained. He reiterated the stance that the county’s update was in compliance.

“As an attorney, I always believe that we will follow the law,” Henessee said. 

Henessee closed by lauding the county employees, acknowledging that although platitudes might seem like nothing more than lip service, he truly believed of their importance to making Clark County work.

“They’re our biggest cost, the benefits and employee salaries, but they are also our biggest asset,” he said.