Kittitas leaders propose countywide economic development partnership with executive director

Ellensburg city officials and county partners on Sept. 15 proposed forming a countywide economic development partnership overseen by the Kittitas Conference of Governments that would hire an executive director and create an action committee to coordinate business attraction, workforce development and regional projects.

The partnership concept, presented to the Ellensburg City Council by City Manager Heidi Baron Sternaway and leaders from the county and Central Washington University, would keep the Conference of Governments as the formal overseer while creating a separate action committee of “doers” — chamber staff, downtown association representatives, municipal staff and other practitioners — plus ad hoc committees for subject-matter work. County Auditor Brian O’Leary said the model is intended to “pull all the people together in our community that have different areas of subject matter expertise” and to avoid “another group of elected officials” doing the implementation work.

Proponents said the county faces a long-term earnings gap and needs a coordinated, proactive effort. Rob Augburn, associate vice president for federal relations and…