Commissioners' report

The Commissioners approved the closure of Covered Bridge Road on Saturday, Oct. 4, for the annual Wahkiakum Columbia River Country Days event. Public Works Director Chuck Beyer requested the termination of the Skamokawa rock pit permit due to fee increases. The rock pit has not been active for several years, and the county is not currently using it. Beyer also requested approval to purchase a tilt trailer to replace two damaged trailers. The commissioners approved the purchase of Trailer King for a total of $52,344 to come out of the ER&R fund.

Auditor Nicci Bergseng requested retroactive approval for the salary overlap of Deputy Auditor II, who was laid off due to the county’s recent budget crisis. Two additional employees in the auditor’s office have since given their notice, and another is switching departments. Bergseng recalled the laid-off employee back to work effective Sept. 8. Judge Heidi Heywood expressed confusion, as she was under the impression that department heads were under strict instructions not to hire due to the budget constraints and wanted to know if she could rehire when her office is short-staffed. “If some are given preferential treatment when others are not, the morale troubles we already have will get immeasurably worse,” said Heywood. “There’s a real equity problem here… if we can’t afford staff, then why are we paying for more staff?” Heywood and County Treasurer Tammy Peterson asked whether they could hire staff in emergent situations, as the auditor had done. The commissioners denied the request.“It needs to be an agenda item that the commissioners can read over, talk through, and come to a decision,” said Commissioner Lee Tischer. Commissioners also called Bergseng's decision to hire back the employee without commissioner approval “a mistake.”