Local News

June 21, 2007

In response to a report from the Wahkiakum County Weed Control Board, county commissioners voted to restore the board’s budget for 2007.
Board representative Mike McAvoy reported that the board had overhauled its budget and programs for 2007 and cut their expense to the county Current Expense Fund.
Commissioners had voted in May to suspend the program for the year as part of their efforts to cut county expenses and to support the financially strapped Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic.
Weed board members and members of the public reacted, however, noting that the weed board wasn’t consulted about the budget cut and that weed control efforts are mandated by state law.

McAvoy reviewed the board’s budget: It started out at $41,674 in anticipated expenses; deducting anticipated revenues, it would cost the county $26,624. Under the revised budget, the total would be $31,240, a total cost of $14,880 after revenues were deducted.
McAvoy and other weed board members requested quick action on the program so that it could get up and running as good weather arrives.
Commissioners George Trott and Dan Cothren thanked the board for their work but said they wanted to look closely at the figures.
After a Tuesday afternoon workshop, they voted to reinstate the budget as proposed by the weed board for the rest of the year.
“Shortly after we took action, I received a barrage of phone calls from citizens,” Commissioner Tom Doumit said. “They said the weed program is very valuable. Being we live in an agricultural county, I feel we can’t afford not to have a presence.”
However, Cothren said he wanted clarification on the state mandate for counties to operate weed control programs. This could affect future levels of service, he said.

Also at their Tuesday afternoon budget workshop with department heads, commissioners said they would ask the department heads to make reductions of 10 to 20 percent in their budgets for 2008.
“We didn’t make it an across the board cut,” Cothren said. “That could devastate a small department.”