Kittitas County commissioners approve consent agenda including levy resolution, contracts and funding awards

Kittitas CountyBoard of County Commissioners approved its consent agenda and a slate of routine resolutions and contracts during the board's public meeting, recording unanimous votes to move forward with multiple administrative and programmatic items.

The consent package included a resolution authorizing county levies for 2025; an amendment to a 2024 contract for the Goodhass Valley Event Center to correct an effective date and increase funding to cover 2024 payroll costs; approval of final mylars for the Thorpe Landing plat to create 10 lots on about 54 acres; notices of call for bids for the county's official newspaper and for several public works maintenance materials; interlocal agreements with Fire District 7 and other entities; and a number of grant and professional services agreements tied to public health, mental health, and elections work.

The Thorpe Landing plat was presented by Jamie Ailing, Community Development, who said the plat has met all approval criteria but that the county had not yet received a signature from Dr. Larson at the health department. "We have met all those criteria. The one caveat, I do not have the actual signature from Dr. Larson with the health department yet," Ailing said. Ailing asked the board to approve the mylars with the understanding the signature will be added and circulated once obtained.

Brian Elliott, County Auditor, summarized several financial and interagency items, including an amendment (LT2024-001) to reflect additional payroll costs incurred last year at the event center and a clarified contract effective date. Amy Syske, Kittitas County Treasurer, presented a resolution to cancel mobile-home taxes deemed uncollectible after research. Ed Bunsen, Jail Administration for the sheriff's office, described an amendment to an interagency agreement with the Washington State Health Care Authority for a reentry demonstration initiative, noting the amendment "has no fiscal effect" on the county general fund because the funding is maintained in a separate account.

On mental-health funding, the board approved resolutions to direct one-tenth of one percent mental health and chemical-dependency tax funds to local providers. The awards listed included the Boys & Girls Club, Friends of Health Care, Kittitas County Friends of Animals, Kittitas County Recovery Community Organization and Community Builders; the board also approved professional-service agreements with local school districts, including Cle Elum-Roslyn School District, to deliver services funded through the mental-health tax.

Public Works staff reported several administrative items approved through the consent agenda: setting a public hearing on proposed rate amendments for the county fair and the Goodhass Valley Event Center, scheduling a public hearing to consider a proposed 30-year lease at Bowers Field (see separate article), correcting scrivener errors in existing airport leases, joining the BuyBoard national purchasing cooperative (citing the Interlocal Cooperation Act, RCW 39.34), and calling for bids for crack-sealant, asphalt and maintenance rock to be opened Feb. 20 at the Public Works office.

The board recorded the consent vote in open session. The chair called for approval; commissioners answered "Aye" three times and the chair stated the motion passed. The board also acknowledged written public comment related to a proposed BLM land swap involving the Yakima RV Park for inclusion in the record.

Votes at a glance

- Approve agenda: approved (voice vote; 3 yes) - Consent agenda (items A through Y as presented, covering minutes, calls for bids, contract amendments, plats, levy resolution, interlocal agreements, grant acknowledgements, professional services agreements, public hearing settings, and other routine items): approved (voice vote; 3 yes) - Resolution authorizing amendment No. 1 to contract LT2024-001 — Goodhass Valley Event Center: approved (part of consent) - Final mylars for Thorpe Landing plat (signature from health department pending): approved contingent on obtaining signature (part of consent) - Resolution cancelling uncollectible mobile-home and personal property taxes for 2024: approved (part of consent) - Approval to set public hearings for March 18 (fair and event center rate amendments) and Feb. 18 (airport lease matters): approved (part of consent) - Approval of awards from the 0.1% mental-health tax to named nonprofit subrecipients and professional-service agreements with local school districts: approved (part of consent)

Context and next steps

Several items approved by the consent agenda were described as procedural or non-fiscal (for example, grant amendment language or acknowledgement of award documents). Where approvals were contingent on additional ministerial steps the board or staff said they would circulate updates (for example, the Thorpe Landing plat signature). Public hearings set by the board will return specific items for public testimony and formal action on the announced dates.

The meeting record shows the board accepted written correspondence from Pat Kelleher regarding a proposed BLM land swap for the Yakima RV Park; that correspondence was entered into the record and public comment on that topic was taken during the citizen-comments portion of the meeting.