Commissioners' report

By Kirk McKnight

During Tuesday’s Wahkiakum County Commissioners’ meeting, VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 5297 Commander Bill Tawater presented before the commissioners a request to have more adequate lighting before the Veteran’s Memorial in front of the county courthouse. With the cost being approximately $1,400, Tawater requested the county, town, Wahkiakum West, American Legion Post 0111 and Wahkiakum VFW Post 5297 share the cost at $280.06 per participant. The commissioners unanimously approved Tawater’s request.

Wahkiakum County Treasurer Tammy Peterson then presented a letter to the commissioners. Peterson, searching the DOR (Department of Revenue) page, discovered a total of $5,534.10 in unclaimed revenue. According to Peterson, the DOR “is asking for a letter” to designate her as acting agent for the county to complete the claim. The commissioners signed the letter, and it was noted the funds, when received, would be “deposited into non-departmental.”

Wahkiakum County Clerk Jess Reddon asked the commissioners to move to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to update the Deputy Clerk II job description and pay classification. According to Tuesday’s packet, the Deputy Clerk III position “became part-time after recent staffing reductions,” thereby being left vacant with the former employee “moving on to a full-time position elsewhere.” Reddon explained she was not looking to fill the Deputy Clerk III position but would like to hire someone to the Deputy Clerk II position. Reddon asked the commissioners to approve the revised Deputy Clerk II job description and “reclassify the position to Pay Class 7 to accurately reflect current responsibilities and operational needs.” The move was approved unanimously by the commissioners.

Wahkiakum County Chief Civil Deputy Joannie Kuhlmeyer presented before the commissioners an amendment to HCA Contract K7933 which would bring $30,000 of additional jail funding for medications and assessments. According to Kuhlmeyer, “there is funding for our incarcerated population that qualifies for Medicaid, but they must opt in and apply for it.” In her presentation, Kuhlmeyer noted “not all want to participate” and others “don’t qualify at all.” In her prepared document, Kuhlmeyer stated, “We feel it important that all incarcerated people are afforded the same level of care despite not being eligible for Medicaid” and this $30,000 “will help with some of those gaps in services that are needed but that may exceed” the approved budget. The commissioners unanimously approved Kuhlmeyer’s request.

In a slew of resolutions, the commissioners then unanimously approved Resolution No. 177-25, “authorizing an increase in property tax revenue for the County General Fund to be collected in 2026.” They then moved to adopt Resolution No. 178-25 “certifying the 2026 County General Levy.” Regarding County road, the commissioners unanimously approved the move to adopt Resolution No. 179-25 “authorizing an increase in property tax revenue for the County road to be collected in 2026,” and Resolution No. 180-25 “certifying the 2026 Road District Levy.” Regarding Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the commissioners unanimously approved the move to adopt Resolution No. 181-25 “authorizing an increase in property tax revenue for the Cumulative Reserve Fund for EMS to be collected in 2026.” Also regarding EMS, the commissioners unanimously approved Resolution No. 182-25, “certifying the 2026 EMS levy.”

Finally, the commissioners unanimously approved a three percent wage increase effective Jan. 1, 2026 and a three-percent wage increase effective Jan. 1, 2027 “for all non-bargaining unit county employees, excluding county commissioners, elected officials and all positions whose salary is set by the Washington Citizen’s Commission and the ferry workers that are covered under the Masters, Mates & Pilots contract.” The commissioners then approved Resolution No. 183-25 “modifying Resolution No. 83-08 “setting the county’s contribution to the Prosecuting Attorney’s salary.”

During the Commissioner Reports portion of the meeting, the commissioners and Emergency Management Coordinator Austin Smith discussed the flooding on the West End, as well as SR4 and flooding over certain roads. It was noted the record flooding was even greater than 2007 and 2009.