Cowlitz County commissioners voted to approve a resolution declaring an emergency for repairs to a crushed storm drain on Sweet Birch Drive, enabling the county to waive competitive procurement requirements to get a contractor on site before winter.

County Engineer Susan Eugenis told the board that Beacon Hill Water and Sewer District televised the county storm drain and found a crushed pipe. She said county staff want to move quickly to prevent additional damage as the rainy season approaches. "We are working on getting a contractor, to repair this based on an emergency basis since we're rolling into the winter," Eugenis said.

Eugenis read the statutory standard she said allows such emergency contracting under state law, saying it covers "unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the county that either presents a real imminent threat to the proper performance of essential functions or will likely result to material loss or damage to property, bodily injury, or loss of life if immediate action is not taken." She told the board the resolution would be brought to them for formal signature at the next regular meeting Tuesday.

After a brief roll-call-style exchange, a board member moved to approve the emergency declaration. The chair called for the vote and commissioners verbally approved the resolution. No public comment was recorded on the item. After the vote, staff said they would sign the resolution and proceed with emergency contracting to complete the repair.

The action authorizes staff to waive standard procurement procedures and solicit a contractor immediately; staff said the intent is to complete repairs before additional winter damage occurs. The resolution and the statutory language cited were presented as the legal basis for the procurement waiver; the transcript did not record a numeric dollar figure for the repair or the contractor selected at the meeting.