Commissioners agree to launch stock‑restricted area advisory committee, expand membership

Yakima County commissioners directed staff on March 10 to move forward with forming a Stock Restricted Area Advisory Committee to make recommendations on stock-restricted boundaries. Commissioners asked staff to add membership to ensure stronger cattle-producer representation and to include a tree-fruit representative; staff will return a resolution and invitation letter to the board for formal appointment.

Staff presented a draft work plan that staff, county planning and corporate counsel had reviewed. Commissioners expressed differing emphases: some said the advisory group should have stronger representation from cattle producers given the subject matter; others said the group should also include non-cattle stakeholders, such as tree-fruit interests, to ensure multiple perspectives are heard.

Lisa (Public Services) reported outreach to cattlemen’s representatives and to the tree-fruit association. She said one producer (Angelo Manning) had agreed to participate and that John Devaney from the tree-fruit association offered a staff member to serve. Commissioners discussed two options: keep the original design (seven members and two alternates) or expand membership; they agreed to expand to nine members to improve stakeholder balance and to allow for alternates drawn from identified contacts.

The board directed staff to prepare a resolution formally appointing the membership, and to draft a board letter inviting the selected participants and setting a meeting schedule. Commissioners expressed a desired timeline: begin the work before summer and report progress to the board; staff will return with a formal resolution for appointment and a meeting schedule.

No formal vote was required on the work plan during this session; the action taken was direction to staff to move the process forward and to return a formal resolution for the board’s consideration.