[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6250683,"mediaKeyId","3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4","parentId",3199377,"title","Public Works seeks bids for countywide delineator project and renews low-use emergency waste agreement with Metro","audioSeconds",209,"startMs",3633000,"endMs",3842000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4&start=3633&end=3842","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4/thumbnail_3633000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6250683/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Public-Works-seeks-bids-for-countywide-delineator-project-and-renews-low-use-emergency-waste-agreement-with-Metro","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6250683-93df4ab3f71a707f2a9cd79c49495382/orig.mp4?Expires=1773774392&Signature=kCAMG9ku8X63b1gfGhZ-v7w0suPLfehSakTf9tRkWWqhujkyQIIbKN8309nv249ymtTdtNw3kMPJbRkNWdOfLtg~e7qeKkd2EJpmaKGlRaPGoqF3TLa993fpGc5~WK1XHd~s8NfnN5OfTYFQMnfjkA0~YJlkjw2reuoheCNSPzhTl6dUBgK-XWJzdxR4N7-iCBtoo53Q8fWFd~UyeUYS4QsUcg2hgZku6syrrTiVXWSFEYG-laM91Dryz5OAcEaNO~BPx7j~Qb9cddTD3GJ~Yp3zbT88DcIETIo6i7iVcZKE68Jc70StLm0LGNAon8kK4KjiE4-qUcjKLxIp8XV0DA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cowlitz County Commissioners, Washington","date","2025-05-06T15:48:48.283Z","article","Susan Eugenis, county engineer, and Sean Roey of public works briefed the commissioners on two public-works items: a countywide delineator installation project using federal safety dollars, and a five-year renewal of an interlocal agreement with Metro for emergency disposal at Cowlitz County transfer stations.

Delineator project and funding: Eugenis said the county will call for bids for the Countywide Delineator Project and has scheduled a bid opening for June 9. She described delineators as the white roadside posts (some placed on guardrail) that help drivers identify the road edge at night and in wet conditions. The project estimate is about $189,000 and includes federal safety funding. \"Delineators are a known, they help prevent run off the road accidents, which in the rural area is the most common and deadly accident,\" Eugenis said.

Metro interlocal for emergency disposal: Sean Roey described an interlocal agreement with Metro (Oregon) that permits Metro to use county transfer stations for emergency disposal when incidents close I-84. Roey said the agreement dates to the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire and is being reiterated for a five‑year period through 2029; overall tonnage since 2017 has been small (about 8,300 tons total since initiation), and usage is on an as‑needed basis.

Road materials bid award and solicitations: Public Works also noted a bid award to two suppliers for road-surface materials covering part of the county and that the department will re-solicit bids for providers in South and Middle County that did not bid this cycle. The department said it expects to continue using chip-seal materials in the near term.

Next steps and timeline: Commissioners were told the delineator bid opening is June 9 and the Metro interlocal will be implemented as needed under existing contract terms; no formal votes were recorded at the briefing. Eugenis said delineators have broad safety benefits on rural roads, and Roey said the Metro agreement provides an emergency contingency with county control over use.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Monday Business Meeting - 05.06.2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public Works announced a federal-aid-funded countywide delineator installation project with an estimated cost of about $189,000 and presented a five-year renewal of an interlocal agreement to accept emergency solid-waste loads from Metro-operated Oregon transfer stations when I-84 closures occur.","taxTitle","Cowlitz County, Washington","taxId",5122,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6250688,"Building and planning reports lower permit revenue; county expands interlocal services for nearby cities",547,2593000,3140000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4&start=2593&end=3140","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4/thumbnail_2593000.jpg","/articles/6250688/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Building-and-planning-reports-lower-permit-revenue-county-expands-interlocal-services-for-nearby-cities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6250688-a4b4b3eaed6e0c9c39673f7a7a5e8d03/orig.mp4?Expires=1773774392&Signature=kygPuOoD2udw8GS9ihMaEjw0zT0UqbSsTdUWTciqD2xBIG6Yp5zUQpY0rVB4ZnvWzsoNc-Wb117k2aNUwiAhE-MKvc7pq1LsSH8h9OFSdtkgPeKBshwCeluXi8kRXiaPVPgWeHN9xomN4YuECbPXHBsd~Nc26c6BO-eit~c9~irFfIYPqmcZnoPL679673nZ6Hjm18QATWkDe5X1gWvObsHLC6R3m8GIp0c4aD1cRual9BUa5ub9sd3~akYYkF~c-2LigrRwTHQxACtTfCS~3tXnnffZ0BXIPNhG9fwFp62v8t~bwIUxCgUv-OOOOU56zquhP5ioZkQM7ZbUdIcl5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tracy Jackson, director of building and planning, and Susan Eugenis, county engineer, told commissioners the county’s building and planning enterprise is operating largely as a self-supporting fund but has seen lower permit revenue this year compared with last.

Revenue and permits: Jackson said licenses and permit revenue were budgeted at about $1.364 million; the department had collected roughly $350,646 to date and was slightly below last year’s totals. Jackson said most activity is single-family, alterations and accessory-dwelling-unit work, and the department is hoping for a large commercial permit that would substantially increase revenue.

Staffing and operations: Jackson said the department has 15 filled positions and one vacancy; personnel budget for building and planning is about $2.24 million with $547,900 expended to date. She also distributed monthly reports and year-end permit tallies that are available to the public online.

Interlocal agreements and service contracts: Jackson described an existing arrangement to provide plan review and inspection support to Kelso and said the city of Longview is considering a personal-services agreement to have the county fill in for Longview’s plan reviews and inspections during vacations and illnesses. An interlocal agreement to expand services to Castle Rock — originally for building only — will add floodplain management administration and appears on that city’s agenda; Jackson said the Castle Rock expansion will come forward to the county as an amendment.

Why it matters: Jackson said the department operates almost like an enterprise: efficiencies and faster permit reviews generate more permit activity and revenue. She told commissioners the county’s interlocal partnerships can help neighboring cities maintain continuity of service and can bring incremental revenue to the county.

Next steps: Jackson asked commissioners to note the Castle Rock agenda item and said the Longview personal-services agreement will be returned to the commissioners for approval when finalized. No formal vote was recorded during the briefing.","County building and planning officials reported a dip in permit revenue compared with last year but said operations are steady; officials also described interlocal agreements to provide plan-review and floodplain services for Castle Rock and to assist Longview and Kelso on plan review and inspections.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6250693,"County finance officials warn of rising risk-pool costs; staff highlight training growth and annex mitigation completion",996,10000,1006000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4&start=10&end=1006","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4/thumbnail_10000.jpg","/articles/6250693/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-finance-officials-warn-of-rising-risk-pool-costs-staff-highlight-training-growth-and-annex-mitigation-completion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6250693-b30442350ce3c8b849b4514c25d7bd95/orig.mp4?Expires=1773774392&Signature=hM9gk25o91O48jkpcJCZQNSTdkmF72cIM-xjELdZdG3Tc0N1HYQzI8p5WwnXw00KyQTD0E4rlmMrZ7044~bJnvyNPETmZUi4gYq-wX3t8FK1LuhqdLj18kfjj8y4I~-nUljX7pk0mYnzAT0aYbAhvwGw0VAEYanNEmV6ywuSL8J~MG1jLb3uOcAMuvXgK~xcevuP4IQFbZw8yqTZjYUwPgVKP5bv7E0E~z3vsJMBRZqL6qR0hs~XLg1bhfab7xJtx-0bT-OunB~evC1ItM-we3IqT7EDteiI0quF6SpkENtLhPW~nEc4X6l5ZaMe1BDyEE-cDS9WefK1Q4N2qU1mdA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kathy Funk Baxter, the county finance director, and Shelley Pierce of risk management briefed commissioners on risk-management finances and operational changes, including prospective insurance premium increases and completed mitigation work at the county annex.

Budget and premiums: Funk Baxter said the county budgets goods-and-services for risk management at about $3.3 million for the year and has collected roughly $3.0 million so far, with about $289,000 still to collect. She said services (where the county pays risk-pool premiums) were budgeted at roughly $22.8 million and that a large portion of premiums are paid as lump sums; staff expect January billing could show a 20–25% increase. “When we paid in October of last year, it was like it was a 20% increase ... and now they're estimating that January of 26, that bill will be 20 possibly 25%,” Funk Baxter said.

Claims and deductibles: The county maintains a liability-claims transfer of $300,000 funded from risk management to cover anticipated claims; Funk Baxter said the county is responsible for the first $100,000 on liability claims and $5,000 on property claims. She told commissioners the annex building water-damage claim is posting expenses in the liability account and staff plan a budget amendment to add expected reimbursements of about $140,000–$150,000.

Industrial-accident (workers’ comp): Industrial-accident revenues are largely internal service billings; the department budgeted $796,800 and had received about $613,000. Funk Baxter said claims and per-claim costs are rising and that the county uses a third-party claims processor that she estimated would cost roughly $30,000–$36,000 annually.

Training and operations: Shelley Pierce said risk management is partnering with human resources to join new-hire orientation sessions so staff view risk management as a partner rather than a barrier. She reported increased training completions: NeoGov courses completed rose from 1,348 in 2023 to 2,434 in 2024; risk-pool trainings completed were 188 in 2023 and 62 in 2024 (by fewer staff), and the county will highlight top performers and issue certificates.

Annex mitigation and policy updates: Pierce said the annex mitigation and remodel work is complete and available for tours, with only minor paint touch-ups remaining. She also told commissioners the music-festival insurance policy will be updated and brought to the board for approval; the update will change insurance and liability coverage amounts and will appear on a future agenda.

What commissioners asked and next steps: Commissioners asked whether other counties are seeing similar premium increases; Funk Baxter said the increases are widespread. Commissioners also asked for clarification on whether liability-account transfers represent deductibles; Funk Baxter confirmed they cover the county’s liability priorities up to the deductible. No formal votes were taken on policy changes during the briefing; staff indicated they will bring the music-festival policy update and budget amendment for the annex claim to future agenda items.","Cowlitz County finance and risk-management staff reported a likely continued 20–25% increase in risk-pool premiums, outlined departmental budgets and transfers, and highlighted completion of annex mitigation work and rising training completions in NeoGov and risk-pool training modules.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6250698,"Cowlitz County corrections officials say rising mental-health detentions strain jail capacity, affect transfers to state hospital",1426,1152000,2578000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4&start=1152&end=2578","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3199377-0375573aa5dc6227e2b374b000c83ad4/thumbnail_1152000.jpg","/articles/6250698/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Cowlitz-County-corrections-officials-say-rising-mental-health-detentions-strain-jail-capacity-affect-transfers-to-state-hospital","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6250698-aa86cae6903948d41a986f74d9a65e13/orig.mp4?Expires=1773774392&Signature=LIu76AUpbJDBY6K1zF9ftLl-ttCxabqqBydzxDi8e47N32tEKDo2y5nOxqQdCMtLMxIeLeyuS6tnbzcgPZYRDw~yFENFVmQ0bkrkYS9sBcNP70OQ~AxRqFJpnrH0Gr7nWpWFeeVv0cz-3nPzvp3z6T0Nq-n5j1oZZxCZsyWypWEtDA1lBFoPDD4Mqh2PQXDrf9E2U~l6Z5OaJSnQpi6CMQ9~NpOoMeYvCqKUNdED95mE9BvhA9ze09BYDLRnAqZEtABtGjB2ipKcFhVA7LXPIVRUT8kkYwtFG7tj6m7kGcPInAowI05Qjb37cKyYzmWTIj5aSBDPyZLgrgLFz-IPkA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ren Fox, director of corrections, told the Cowlitz County commissioners that the jail’s population includes a growing number of people with serious mental-health needs, and that the county currently has 22 people at Western State Hospital.

That caseload and the jail’s housing layout have reduced capacity for routine bookings and for some Department of Corrections (DOC) holds, Fox said, and the county has previously restricted bookings when the balance tipped. “We currently don't have any booking restrictions, but we have had to restrict bookings in the past when that gets off balance,” Fox said.

Why it matters: County officials said mentally ill detainees sometimes must be held apart in single cells or separate pods; because many jail cells are intended for multiple occupants, isolating one person can remove several beds from service. Fox said the jail has roughly 76 cells in total and about 10–11 single cells that can be used for people who cannot be housed with others. He said, “So if you have 1 person in a cell that's meant to hold that many, that takes that many beds off the table that are not available to others.”

Fox described how legal and clinical processes affect placement. After booking, a judge decides on release or continued detention; for some detainees the jail requests that the judge PR (personal recognizance) a person so the county can arrange a DCR (designated crisis responder) evaluation and an ITA (Involuntary Treatment Act) referral to a hospital. Fox said the ITA pathway is used for misdemeanor-level cases; felony defendants generally go through Western State Hospital procedures.

On transfers to Western State Hospital, Fox said the county has recently been able to place people faster than in prior years because Western State has opened additional capacity. “They told me that they'll give me that information in September or October,” Fox said when asked how Cowlitz compares to other counties, and added that in years past the county had waited as long as a year for placements.

Effect on DOC and local arrests: Commissioners asked whether DOC warrants and county arrests compete for limited space. Fox said DOC holds are not new crimes but parole violations; the jail historically has limited DOC intakes to keep capacity for local arrests, and has the contractual option to refuse DOC transports when capacity is needed for local law enforcement. \"With the Department of Corrections ... if it's a really high needs, high risk person, we're going to ask that they remove that person and take them to 1 of their own facilities or another partner agency of theirs,\" Fox said.

Staffing and overtime: Fox reported 49 filled corrections officer positions and six vacancies. The jail’s personnel budget for the year is $7,271,995, with $1,779,000 expended so far. The department budgets $433,000 a year for overtime. Fox said three open officer hires are in final stages and seven additional candidates are in background checks.

Other operational points: Fox said 30–40 detainees with mental-health needs is a typical range, and that the county currently has 22 people at Western State Hospital — a figure he called a record for recent years. He also said the county can restrict DOC intakes to protect availability for local law enforcement; if the jail declines DOC transfers, the state generally moves those people to other partner facilities.

What’s next: Commissioners did not take a formal vote during the briefing. Fox said he will continue reporting staffing and capacity data at upcoming briefings and that the jail is working to bring new officers on board to reduce overtime and increase capacity.","County corrections staff told commissioners the jail is treating a growing number of people with serious mental-health needs, with 22 patients at Western State Hospital and limited single cells and pods reducing booking capacity for other arrests and DOC holds.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public Works seeks bids for countywide delineator project and renews low-use emergency waste agreement with Metro

Building and planning reports lower permit revenue; county expands interlocal services for nearby cities

County finance officials warn of rising risk-pool costs; staff highlight training growth and annex mitigation completion

Cowlitz County corrections officials say rising mental-health detentions strain jail capacity, affect transfers to state hospital