Walla Walla County commissioners approved a series of motions on July 7 covering grants, contracts, personnel actions and routine business. All recorded votes listed on the meeting agenda passed unanimously (3-0) unless otherwise noted.

Key formal actions recorded at the meeting

- Community Outreach award to Fort Walla Walla Museum: Motion to award $42,138 from the county’s Community Outreach Fund to the Fort Walla Walla Museum for shelter and exhibit work related to the Blue Mountain locomotive; direction for the Clerk to work with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on an agreement. Outcome: approved 3-0.

- Detention use contract with Columbia County: Approval of a legacy detention-use contract between Columbia County and the Walla Walla County Department of Court Services (day rate adjustment noted in packet). Outcome: approved 3-0.

- HCA-funded corrections positions (policy/implementation approvals): The board authorized county staff to work with Human Resources to develop two positions necessary to implement the Health Care Authority (HCA) Medicaid waiver activities for incarcerated clients: a targeted reentry case manager position and an administrative assistant / billing clerk position (both positions described as to be funded by HCA). Outcome: approved 3-0.

- Lateral corrections hires: The board approved hiring two lateral corrections officers above Step B to reflect prior experience (requests cited candidates with significant prior corrections experience and the board confirmed budget availability). Outcome: approved 3-0.

- Fleet Services job description: The Board approved a revised job description for a Fleet Services Manager in Public Works, clarifying education and supervisory experience requirements. Outcome: approved 3-0.

- Intergovernmental and grant agreements: The board approved routine items including the county’s HUD Continuum of Care grant acceptance (CoC grant agreement), an amendment to a Washington Department of Veterans Affairs contract, and extension of an interlocal agreement with the city on regional pollution‐prevention programming. Outcome: each approved 3-0.

- Administrative and consent items: Commissioners approved routine consent items including minutes, payroll/action forms, county vouchers/warrants/electronic payments, and the renewal of a lease for a radio antenna site on Kapi‘i Mountain. Outcome: each approved 3-0.

- Special event permit: The board approved the Followwalla Half Marathon use of county roads with route conditions and a requirement that organizers limit runners to a single side of the affected county segment. Outcome: approved 3-0.

Context and next steps

Most items were routine approvals arising from staff requests and department presentations. Several personnel items were explicitly linked to the county’s implementation of HCA Medicaid waiver work inside the corrections facility and to an HCA commitment to fund the positions; staff noted they will coordinate implementation details with Human Resources and (where applicable) bargaining units. Prosecuting and clerk staff will prepare grant and interlocal agreements as directed by the motions.

Why this matters: The approvals cover a mix of cultural preservation (the museum award), core public safety and corrections operations (detention contract and HCA-funded positions), and routine county business (contracts, vouchers, payroll and road-use permits). Several items have direct budgetary effects (outreach award, HCA-funded positions, payroll and overtime mitigation through new hires) and implementation tasks now assigned to county departments and attorneys for contracting and onboarding.