Yakima County approves release confirming no immediate threat from Rattlesnake Ridge movement

The Board of Yakima County Commissioners on May 5 approved language for a public statement regarding visible movement on Rattlesnake Ridge and directed staff to distribute the notice to stakeholders and include it in the county e‑newsletter.

Tony Miller proposed language acknowledging observed slow movement on the ridge and reassuring the public that county and partner agencies have determined there is no immediate threat. Commissioner McKinney moved to approve sending the language; Commissioner Lindy seconded. "Actually, yeah, the language looks good to me. So I'll second the motion that Commissioner McKinney made to approve Tony sending this out," Lindy said. The board called for the correction of a typographical error ("slowing" vs. "slowly").

The motion carried on a voice vote with commissioners present both saying, "Aye," and staff said they would send the statement to the clerk and include it in the next e‑newsletter. No additional mitigation actions or emergency declarations were made during the meeting.

Why it matters: Rattlesnake Ridge movement has been monitored for years; the approved language is intended to reassure the community while acknowledging visible movement. The statement and distribution were approved administratively at the work session rather than by emergency action.