Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
Klickitat County took the unusual step of moving their standing Tuesday meeting to Monday December 9, in order to guarantee a quorum. It was a bare-minimum quorum with just Chair Lori Zoller and Commissioner Jake Anderson. Commissioner Dan Christopher had indicated at the December 3 meeting that he had a family vacation scheduled starting December 9, but might make it back for a December 24 meeting.
Though much of the meeting was routine, commissioners were able to finalize property tax levies and the county’s 2025 budget. The record on both had been held open for written comment since last Tuesday’s board meeting, but none had been receive.
It was also the first report on the Klickitat County Jail by the new county jail administrator, Bill Frantz. He told commissioners that the county had welcomed him with open arms, and outlined some of the things he’s working on:
“Sanitation and security inspection processes, equipment needs and priorities. Rebranding, and how we can be rebrand without having to spend a lot of money. Simple things like using the same footprint of the patch that we have means we don’t have to buy new jackets and things like that.”
It was also a chance for county Finance Director Jennifer Neil to respond to public comments at previous meeting:
“I take great pride in insuring that the information I provide is accurate, transparent and reliable. To maintain this standard, I rely solely on data sourced from the county’s financial system, which is audited by both county auditor and the state auditor. This approach is not only best practice but also a responsibility that I take seriously to uphold the integrity of the financial reporting. It ensures that all information shared is verifiable, unbiased, and reflective of the actual financial records.”
And commissioners were able to approve a number lot line adjustments and short plats for local property owners
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