Yakima, Kittitas counties finalize regional development agreement with Central Washington University

Yakima County staff told commissioners on March 13 that the county has an agreement with Central Washington University to develop a community economic development strategy for the Yakima-Kittitas Economic Development District. The agreement, listed as Agreement 95-2025 on the county’s agenda, is a seed contract that the county and Kittitas County will jointly finance.

A county staff member said the two counties will equally share costs for the project, which the staff member described as part of a regional development plan the counties have been working on since last spring. The work required additional state approvals and the contract has only now reached the point of signing, staff said. The agreement was read aloud during the March 13 work session as an item on the upcoming Tuesday agenda; commissioners did not take a final vote on the contract at the work session.

The item as presented on the agenda does not include the dollar amount, specific contract scope, or timeline in the work-session transcript. Commissioners who spoke noted they were aware the project had been under discussion for months. Additional contract documents or a staff report were not provided in the recorded remarks; those materials will presumably be available at the formal meeting when the item is considered for action.