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Kittitas County code-enforcement officer reports caseload drop from 400+ to about 120; court abatements in progress
Summary
Code enforcement officer Laura Pickett reported reducing an intake of more than 400 cases to roughly 120 open cases since January 2024; 13 cases are in various court stages and three compliance agreements expire this summer.
Laura Pickett, Kittitas County’s code enforcement officer, told commissioners she began in January 2024 with a little more than 400 cases and had reduced active cases to about 120 as of the day before the meeting. "I started my position back in January 2024 starting with a little over 400 cases. Since then, I have brought those down to, as of yesterday, a 120 cases open," Pickett said.
Pickett told the board she has 10 new open cases in 2025, about 13 cases that are in various stages with the courts for abatement, and three compliance agreements that are due to expire this summer; if agreements are not met, those cases could move to abatement. She said she is working cases in small batches to avoid overloading the courts and her office.
County staff and a commissioner praised Pickett and the prosecutor’s office for cooperation and for prioritizing voluntary compliance. A county legal representative and staff described monthly coordination meetings and said the program has stabilized after personnel and process changes. Commissioners emphasized prioritizing flood- and shoreline-related matters and said voluntary compliance has been the first goal when possible.
No formal policy or ordinance change was voted on at the meeting. Commissioners acknowledged more work remains, including refining development-code language and standing up abatement procedures, and they thanked staff for the progress in reducing the backlog.
