Clallam County commissioners approve consent agenda, adopt policy amendment, award advertising contract and grant communications bid waiver

The Clallam County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 10-item consent agenda on April 1 and took separate motions to amend county policy 5‑0‑4, contract with the Peninsula Daily News for legal advertising and waive competitive-bidding requirements for regional radio gateway modules.

The consent agenda included approval of vouchers for the week of March 24, payroll approval, minutes, two committee appointments and other routine items. The agenda also contained a call for bids related to the Dungeness Reservoir site debris‑removal project and a request for a public hearing on an emergency ordinance to remain in FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program.

County staff presented a proposed amendment to County Policy 5‑0‑4 (Recognition, Refreshments and Miscellaneous Reimbursement). Commissioners opened and closed a public hearing on that amendment and then voted to adopt the changes. County staff said the change clarifies and allows modest incentives used by therapeutic courts and similar programs, capped at $25 per participant.

Separately, the board approved an agreement designating Sound Publishing’s Peninsula Daily News (and affiliated publications) as the official county newspaper for legal notices; staff said the contract reflects a modest increase in column‑inch rates across the publisher’s titles. Commissioners also authorized a waiver of the county’s normal RFP process to purchase ES chat (ESChat) radio gateway modules, which county staff described as necessary to maintain interoperability and cybersecurity for first‑responder communications.

Motions on the consent agenda and the separate items carried with no recorded roll‑call tallies in the meeting transcript; commissioners signaled approval by voice vote. No amendments to the motions were recorded.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (10 items, including vouchers, payroll, minutes, committee appointments, call for bids on Dungeness Reservoir debris removal): approved (voice vote). - Resolution adopting amendments to County Policy 5‑0‑4 (Recognition, Refreshments and Miscellaneous Reimbursement): approved (voice vote). The amendments allow incentives for participants in therapeutic courts or similar programs, capped at $25 per participant, per staff explanation during the hearing. - Agreement with Peninsula Daily News (Sound Publishing) for legal advertising: approved (voice vote). Staff reported adjusted column‑inch rates applied to Peninsula Daily News, the Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. - Waiver of bid/RFP requirements to contract directly with ESChat for radio gateway modules: approved (voice vote). Staff described the modules as part of the regional interoperable communications system for dispatch and first responders.

No recorded roll‑call vote counts or named yes/no votes appear in the meeting transcript; outcomes above reflect the recorded motions and “motion carries” statements. Commissioners did not adopt any budgetary appropriations or final contract amounts on the floor during these motions; staff told the board the Peninsula Daily News contract and the ESChat purchase had been reviewed by civil counsel and were ready to proceed.

Next steps mentioned on the record include: publishing the call for bids for the Dungeness Reservoir site debris removal project and posting the public‑hearing notice for the emergency floodplain ordinance. The transcript does not include the bid deadlines in unambiguous form; the formal bid notice in the consent materials should be consulted for exact dates and submission instructions.