[{"_1":2,"_113":-5,"_114":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,84,94,104],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6300341,"mediaKeyId","2493242-d2dc498fd56ddfb28797cea68739b8aa","parentId",2493242,"title","WSU Extension reports $100,000 carryover award for Forest Youth program; staff flag reimbursement timing risk","audioSeconds",355,"startMs",2695000,"endMs",3050000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2493242-d2dc498fd56ddfb28797cea68739b8aa&start=2695&end=3050","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6300341/Skamania-County/Washington/WSU-Extension-reports-100000-carryover-award-for-Forest-Youth-program-staff-flag-reimbursement-timing-risk","mediaUrl","author","Skamania County, WA","date","2025-02-25T00:00:00Z","article","Honey Reynolds, extension director for WSU Extension in Skamania County, told the board on Feb. 25 that the county’s Forest Youth for Success program has a $100,000 carryover award tied to Title II funds and other project reimbursements, but staff want to reduce financial risk tied to timing of federal reimbursements.

Reynolds said the $100,000 originates from carryover and reimbursable grant funding; the county’s fiscal partner for those grants is the local school district, which currently issues checks for payroll and invoices. Reynolds said the county is discussing options including requesting project reimbursement earlier in the grant cycle so the program would not front payroll while waiting for federal reimbursement.

Reynolds also reported other implementation challenges: a recent Administration decision removed existing application forms for a Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) appointment process and staff do not expect RAC appointments to move forward in the near term. That uncertainty affects potential federal partnership opportunities the extension has pursued.

On program operations, Reynolds and Summer (WSU staff) described recruiting issues for seasonal crew-leader positions and the need for reliable adult crew leads for the summer season. Extension staff noted the county’s recent agreements and awards include smaller Title II project funds and an additional eight projects that received funding; program staff are coordinating with fiscal partners to ensure timely reimbursements and to minimize payroll risk.

Reynolds highlighted the county’s green-team and food-rescue project working with the school district, food bank, local farmers and the PTA. The program diverts served and unconsumed food from landfill, redirects usable food to students and the food bank, and sends scraps to livestock farmers; extension staff reported the green team diverted about 10,000 pounds from the landfill last year, an estimated reduction of 5,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.

Reynolds invited commissioners to upcoming invasive-species and applicator-credit workshops and said WSU plans local programs on viticulture and other forestry topics this year. She requested continued coordination with the county on grant timing and fiscal procedures to reduce exposure to reimbursement delays.

Ending: Extension staff asked the board to note the reimbursement timing risk for the Forest Youth award and to support coordination with the county’s fiscal partner to mitigate cash-flow exposure.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Skamania County meeting 02-25-25","oneSentenceSummary","WSU Extension told Skamania County commissioners Feb. 25 that a $100,000 carryover Title II award for Forest Youth for Success is available but reimbursable, creating potential cash-flow risk if federal reimbursements are delayed.","taxTitle","Skamania County, Washington","taxId",68745,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":50,"_51":81,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":82,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":83,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6300346,"Board approves consent agenda, vouchers and four safety-committee claims",55,7893000,7948000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2493242-d2dc498fd56ddfb28797cea68739b8aa&start=7893&end=7948","/articles/6300346/Skamania-County/Washington/Board-approves-consent-agenda-vouchers-and-four-safety-committee-claims","The Skamania County Board of Commissioners approved the consent agenda and a vouchers list at its meeting on Feb. 25, 2025, and accepted four safety-committee claims with determinations entered on the record.

The board voted unanimously to approve the consent agenda and then approved vouchers dated 02/25/2025, covering wire numbers 202447 through 202497 and a total payment run referenced in the meeting (vouchers and totals read aloud during the meeting).

Later in the meeting the board heard the county safety committee report and acted on four separate claims from county operations:
- Claim 25-ED-001: Employee clipped a parked vehicle with a snow blade; supervisor and safety committee called the incident preventable. The board moved, seconded and approved the committee recommendation.
- Claim 25-ED-002: Employee backed into a dumpster damaging a taillight; supervisor and safety committee deemed the incident preventable. The board moved, seconded and approved the committee recommendation.
- Claim 25-ED-003: Right-rear tire scraped a guardrail after reacting to an oncoming vehicle; the supervisor characterized the event as unpreventable but the safety committee judged it preventable. The board approved the safety committee determination by motion.
- Claim 25-ED-004: A collision that caused minimal headlight damage; after review the supervisor and safety committee agreed it was unpreventable and the board approved that finding.

Each claim was presented by county risk/safety staff, discussed briefly, and then put to motion and vote. The meeting record shows the motions were made and seconded and the board voice-voted “aye” for each motion.

The board also recessed for an 11-minute break and continued with scheduled financial and department reports after these actions.

These formal votes and approvals were recorded on the meeting minutes and approved by motion during the Feb. 25 session.

Ending: The board’s approvals resolved the listed consent, voucher and claim items; further budget and program-specific actions were discussed elsewhere in the meeting.","At its Feb. 25 meeting, the Skamania County Board of Commissioners approved the consent agenda, voted to approve vouchers dated Feb. 25, 2025, and recorded four safety-committee claim determinations after staff presentations.",{"_33":85,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":86,"_41":87,"_43":88,"_45":89,"_47":90,"_49":50,"_51":91,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":92,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":93,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6300327,"Underwood residents urge keeping Huber Reservoir for fire suppression after PUD decision",342,1948000,2290000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2493242-d2dc498fd56ddfb28797cea68739b8aa&start=1948&end=2290","/articles/6300327/Skamania-County/Washington/Underwood-residents-urge-keeping-Huber-Reservoir-for-fire-suppression-after-PUD-decision","Underwood residents addressed the Skamania County Board of Commissioners during public comment on Feb. 25, urging county leaders to keep the Huber Reservoir available for fire suppression even though Skamania PUD plans to remove it from the public drinking-water system.

Bob Wittenberg, an Underwood resident who said his home is within several thousand feet of the reservoir, said the county should consider keeping the tank online as a fire reservoir rather than a potable-water reservoir. Wittenberg told commissioners that firefighting water does not require the same treatment as drinking water and that preserving the tank for fast fills of tenders would aid firefighting near residential properties that have been threatened by recent wildfires.

Patrick McConnell, another Underwood resident and homeowner affected by the Tunnel 5 fire, told the board he supports Wittenberg’s view. McConnell said firefighters could not rely on a nearby hydrant during the Tunnel 5 fire and argued that a 25,000‑gallon tank with a fast-fill system would be a relatively small expense for a significant improvement to local fire response. He asked county leaders to consider options for keeping the reservoir available for fire suppression while acknowledging PUD and county budget and jurisdictional boundaries.

Residents suggested routing a pipe or adding a fast-fill point closer to where past fires occurred to make tank water more usable for tanker trucks. Commenters said repairing leaks and keeping the tank wet for fire suppression purposes would cost far less than designing and operating a drinking‑water reservoir that meets state regulations.

Ending: Commissioners received the comments during the public-comment period. No formal county action on the Huber Reservoir was recorded in the meeting transcript; residents asked the PUD and county to coordinate on practical, lower-cost options to preserve the reservoir’s fire‑suppression value.","Multiple Underwood residents told commissioners the Huber Reservoir should be preserved for local fire suppression, saying the tank—though not suitable for drinking water—would provide low-cost, local water supply for firefighting needs.",{"_33":95,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":96,"_41":97,"_43":98,"_45":99,"_47":100,"_49":50,"_51":101,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":102,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":103,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6300332,"County nearing completion of union contracts; staff to propose personnel-policy timing change for vacation cash-out",1022,524000,1546000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2493242-d2dc498fd56ddfb28797cea68739b8aa&start=524&end=1546","/articles/6300332/Skamania-County/Washington/County-nearing-completion-of-union-contracts-staff-to-propose-personnel-policy-timing-change-for-vacation-cash-out","Human Resources staff told the board on Feb. 25 that negotiations produced signed agreements for three of four county union contracts; the final contract was in circulation and staff asked to place the last agreement on the next agenda when finalized. Staff said union contracts will be backdated to Jan. 1, 2025, as required by labor agreements.

Staff requested the option to add a walk-in agenda item for the next board meeting to finalize that last contract if the union returned paperwork on short notice. Human Resources also said that once contracts are finalized the department will circulate updated personnel policies for the board’s review.

The county auditor and staff also briefed commissioners on a proposed personnel-policy change to the vacation cash‑out schedule. The auditor and HR staff said the county currently processes vacation cash‑outs twice a year (April and November) and proposed moving one payout so that the cash‑out that had been paid in December would be moved to November (by moving the payroll processing earlier) to give the county clearer year-end budget information. Staff said a resolution reflecting that timing change would be brought to the board in the near term.

Ending: Commissioners were advised that staff will prepare the finalized contract for the next agenda if paperwork is returned in time and will present a resolution to adjust the vacation cash‑out timing so year-end budgets are clearer.","County staff reported three of four union contracts complete and requested a walk-in agenda item to finalize the last contract. Staff also said they will propose moving a scheduled vacation cash-out date earlier to improve budget clarity.",{"_33":105,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":106,"_41":87,"_43":107,"_45":108,"_47":109,"_49":50,"_51":110,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":111,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":112,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6300337,"Commissioners discuss debit-card access and approve keeping three officials on account; staff to produce clearer reports",826000,1168000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2493242-d2dc498fd56ddfb28797cea68739b8aa&start=826&end=1168","/articles/6300337/Skamania-County/Washington/Commissioners-discuss-debit-card-access-and-approve-keeping-three-officials-on-account-staff-to-produce-clearer-reports","County staff reviewed a proposal to change the county debit-card policy and extend signature authority for department heads to use county debit cards for time-sensitive purchases. The clerk of the board explained the county debit card is used for occasional purchases when an invoice is not available and that four people were previously listed on the debit card (treasurer, clerk of the board, a previous commissioner and one other). Staff asked whether to remove the departed commissioner and replace them or to keep three officials on the account.

Treasurer Vicky said she was comfortable keeping three named county officials on the account rather than adding a new commissioner. Commissioners agreed by voice vote that the card holders would remain the treasurer, the clerk of the board, and the county auditor (or three designated officers); staff will prepare a single motion to update the account signatories and to bring proposed debit-card policy changes to a future agenda.

On reporting and oversight, commissioners asked for better, easier-to-read reporting that extracts debit-card transactions into voucher-run numbers and account codes so the board can track where purchases charge in the budget. County staff said existing voucher and reconciliation reports show the debit-card charges but are embedded in long voucher lists; they offered to export and data-sort a more user-friendly report and to include commissioners on regular reconciliation emails currently sent to select staff.

Staff also noted an option for an Excel reconciliation form departments could complete monthly; staff cautioned that would add work for departments. The board asked staff to propose a reporting format that pulls debit-card items with voucher references and account numbers so commissioners can more quickly correlate purchases to budgets.

Ending: The board agreed to keep three county officials on the card for operational continuity, requested staff provide a clearer voucher-linked debit-card report, and asked that proposed policy and signatory changes be prepared for a future agenda.","Skamania County commissioners discussed updating debit-card policy and signature authority, agreed to keep three elected officials on the county debit card, and asked staff for clearer voucher-linked reports for oversight.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

WSU Extension reports $100,000 carryover award for Forest Youth program; staff flag reimbursement timing risk

Board approves consent agenda, vouchers and four safety-committee claims

Underwood residents urge keeping Huber Reservoir for fire suppression after PUD decision

County nearing completion of union contracts; staff to propose personnel-policy timing change for vacation cash-out

Commissioners discuss debit-card access and approve keeping three officials on account; staff to produce clearer reports