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 executive director of Business and Community Services at Central Washington University, showed data projecting slower wage growth in Kittitas County relative to King County and said the county must add roughly 300 high-skilled jobs a year, at an average wage of $100,000, to keep up with inflation. “We’re losing altitude,” Augburn said. “How do we fill this gap?”

Why it matters: speakers framed the proposal as an effort to retain local residents, expand family-wage jobs and stabilize the county tax base. Advocates said a central coordinator would connect university programs, industry needs and training partners so employers can find qualified local workers.

What the proposal would do: the Conference of Governments would remain the accountable body for funding and legitimacy; an action committee of economic-development practitioners would run implementation; ad hoc groups would assemble around issues such as workforce training or tourism; and an executive director — a new, funded position supervised by COG — would coordinate activities, hold partners accountable and run hiring and outreach. County Auditor Brian O’Leary said the role would be similar to existing regional managers who are accountable to advisory boards.

Timing and next steps: staff said they are drafting a memorandum of understanding and an interlocal agreement to formalize terms and to allow non-governmental partners to participate. A draft job description for an executive director exists; presenters said a formal hiring process would begin after the legal framework is in place and that an ideal target for placing the executive director would be around the second quarter of next year, subject to funding and partner input. City Manager Heidi Baron Sternaway said the documents will be circulated to jurisdictions for review and that some details remain to be resolved with the county commissioners.

Public reaction and concerns: speakers from the Chamber of Commerce and Central Washington University urged a proactive approach rather than reactive responses to business closures. At least one member of the public and a member of the county public questioned whether existing entities (for example, a port district or a public utility district) or improvements to COG governance might instead handle this work; Pat Geller told the council “You need to get back to your knitting” and expressed skepticism about forming a new structure without clearer accountability. Heidi Baron Sternaway and participants responded that the MOU/ILA would specify roles and that the proposed structure is intended to be complementary to existing municipal responsibilities.

What was not decided: the council did not vote on any ordinance or funding at the meeting. Presenters requested feedback and community input; staff were directed to continue drafting the MOU/ILA, refine the executive director job description with partners, and return with documents and a timeline for potential approval. No financial commitments or hiring decisions were made at this meeting.

Speakers quoted in this article are participants or staff who presented the plan and are identified in the council record. All quotations are taken from the council meeting transcript.

Ending: Staff said they will take the next several weeks to circulate draft legal terms to participating jurisdictions and partners, gather feedback and prepare for a formal decision point once the governance documents and funding plan are more fully developed.