Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
Money was on the minds of Klickitat County Commissioners at their board meeting yesterday. In looking at all money-raising possibilities, they considered raising certain event fees, but ultimately postponed the decision to have a larger policy discussion about whether the county should be fully recouping its costs for utilities and cleaning at facilities like the community center.
County Administrator Robb Van Cleave did have some good news:
“You may know, but I want to make sure the public knows. The Department of Corrections food service will be, starting May 7th, provided by the State Department of Corrections, and Aramark has given a termination of the contract for May 8, so timing is everything, and has Bill has reported in the past, that will be a significant savings of money. Bill’s worked pretty hard on that, and I appreciate that.”
That’s Jail Administrator Bill Frantz, who’s been working on that change since he came on board. He’s also been adept at obtaining grants, which certainly helps small counties
Adult Probation received approval to hire a qualified internal candidate for a case manager position at a higher pay step than advertised, with the board agreeing that the county would absorb the additional cost to avoid altering financial agreements already in progress with Bingen, White Salmon and Goldendale.
Senior Services Director Sharon Carter, reported the department faced significant challenges with recruiting transportation drivers due to strict state and federal requirements.
“We’ve got safety sensitive drug testing. There’s pre-employment as well as random testing. There are people that that eliminates them right off the bat. And then the driving records are not just related to your work driving record; it’s your driving record, period.”
She said another problem was the cost of replacement vehicles for their fleet had more than doubled, complicating grant-funded purchases.
And on top of that, demand for Senior Services grew substantially, with notable increases in transportation ridership, meals served, and volunteer hours, which rose by over 2,000 hours in the past year
The county also retained outside counsel to provide an expert review of a solar ordinance and to help with future land use matters, with the Prosecuting Attorney emphasizing that all communication would be centralized through her office to control costs.