Skamania County commissioners on May 28 approved Amendment No. 1 to the contract with Trofer Contracting for ongoing building renovation work, and directed staff to manage the additional cost within existing county funds rather than submitting an immediate supplemental budget request.

County staff told the board the project’s budgeted amount was $609,000 but that change orders would bring the total closer to $688,000. “So, our budgeted amount for this project was $609,000 with these change orders. The total would be closer to 688,000,” one staff member said during the meeting.

The discussion focused on how to handle the additional spending authority. Staff said the county has the funds but must shift spending authority from operating lines to capital expenditures, and that unspent dedicated infrastructure funds must be returned to the state if not used. One commissioner summarized the choice: either process a supplemental appropriation now or “float” the change and include it in the next supplemental. The board chose to wait and track spending, with staff saying they would bring a supplemental forward if they approached capacity limits.

Contract-related cost drivers explained to the board included higher-than-expected painting costs driven by prevailing wages, weekend rates to minimize daytime service disruption, and expedited scheduling. As staff explained, weekend work and prevailing wage requirements increased line-item costs: painting crews are working weekend shifts to avoid closing in‑person services more than necessary.

Commissioners discussed the project timeline and contractor performance; staff reported rapid progress and said portions of the building were framed and completed quickly. The board approved the contract amendment by voice vote; the motion carried.

Staff noted the renovation will require temporary closures of parts of the county office for floor grinding and sealing. The community health director later told the board the building would be closed to foot traffic on June 5 and June 9, with a possibility of June 12 for some work, and warned that services that require in‑person visits (including issuing birth and death certificates) would be impacted on those days.

The board did not approve an immediate supplemental appropriation. Instead, commissioners directed staff to monitor spending and report back if they near budget capacity so a supplemental can be processed before funds run out.

The board approved the contract amendment and then moved on to other business.