Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
Klickitat County Commissioners met yesterday. Planning Director Scott Edelmen told commissioners that the planning commission would be meeting that night:
“There’s a few fairly controversial issues, especially based on setbacks from riparian areas. That’s a big one, and then adoption of the critical habitats and species. There’s nobody in the middle on this issue. All the comments are “These new standards are way too strict,” or “You need to go further, and adopt a strict a standard as possible.”
The afternoon agenda picked up a motion that was tabled two weeks previously. That was a motion by commissioner Lori Zoller to fill a vacant case manager position for the probation department, a position that has been vacant for two years. Zoller argued persuasively, and was joined by East Klickitat Circuit Court Judge Rick Hansen, who told commissioners:
“We are at a point that our probation department’s basically in a crisis mode. They are over-burdened, overworked. Some of them are threatening to quit because they can’t handle the case load. We have to make some decisions, rather than tabling them down the road all the time. If you’re in a position where you can’t tell us we can fund that position now, then we have to look at trying to ? these services, which are essential. I don’t even want to try and envision what that might look like.”
When it came time to vote, though, Zoller’s morion was defeated, with Commissioner Todd Andrews and Chair Ron Ihrig both saying they want a policy that considers the effects of their actions on all county employees as a group.
Commissioners also heard presentations on the Snyder Creek enhancement projects and on the Klickitat Old Mill site.