Clallam County extends Cascadia contract for hazard mitigation and climate resiliency; residents press for more transparency

The Board of Clallam County Commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 25 to approve Agreement Amendment 1 with Cascadia Consulting Group to continue work on the county’s hazard mitigation plan and the new climate resiliency element of the comprehensive plan. The board approved the amendment after county staff described the need to extend the consultant contract to gather information from cities and other local partners before drafting the resiliency element.

The amendment extends the contract termination date and directs Cascadia to help prepare the climate element and a hazard mitigation update that must meet state and federal requirements under the Growth Management Act. County staff said the work covers both the statutorily required climate/resiliency element and the hazard mitigation vulnerability assessment so the documents will be internally consistent and meet state law. Staff also outlined planned public outreach, including community meetings in Sequim, Port Angeles, Joyce, Clallam Bay and Forks, followed by planning-commission hearings and additional hearings before the board.

Residents at the meeting’s public-comment periods urged the board to reconsider using Cascadia and to require greater transparency about consultant work and relationships. John Worthington of Sequim told commissioners, “I’m forever speaking out against the Cascadia contract. It has no value to Clallam County citizens.” Jeff Tozer of Sequim cited links he described between Cascadia Consulting Group, Commissioner Mark Ozias and the North Olympic Development Council, saying those connections “raise serious questions about fairness, transparency, and special interest influence.” Tozer added that Cascadia uses the ClearPath tool and ICLEI-related methods he said could “undermine local control.”

Commissioners and staff responded by stressing that the comprehensive-plan process requires robust public engagement and that consultant work will be presented at public meetings. County staff said the contract extension is intended to allow time to gather required data from cities and other agencies and to provide draft policies for public review. Bruce (the DCD director) told the board that the amendment will allow Flexibility to reallocate funds between tasks and to “afford us an additional opportunity for public meetings on this matter.”

The motion to approve Agreement Amendment 1 with Cascadia Consulting Group passed unanimously with all three commissioners voting in favor. The amendment’s termination date and detailed billing breakdown were not specified at the meeting; staff said those details will be reflected in the contract amendment documents and in upcoming public materials.

Why it matters: The new climate-resiliency element is now a required part of county comprehensive-plan updates under the Growth Management Act. How the county frames vulnerability, mitigation and adaptation priorities in that element can shape land use, capital-facility decisions and transportation and infrastructure planning across Clallam County. Community members who spoke at the meeting said they want clearer disclosure of consultant methodology and of any organizational ties that might influence project choices.

What’s next: County staff and Cascadia will continue drafting the climate and hazard elements, hold community outreach meetings in each major population center, and present the drafts to the Planning Commission and then to the Board of Clallam County Commissioners for final action. Specific contract dates and a more detailed public-engagement schedule were not provided at the Feb. 25 meeting.