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Kittitas County to move ahead with COG-backed design awards for water and sewer projects, staff to prepare contracts
Summary
County staff presented Conference of Governments recommendations to fund design for South Cle Elum's town water system ($1,000,000) and design for a City of Kittitas sanitary sewer extension ($1,100,000), and a $180,000 grant to the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce; commissioners directed staff to prepare enabling documents and contracts.
County staff briefed commissioners on recommendations from the Conference of Governments (COG) to allocate distressed-county sales-and-use-tax funds under RCW 82.14.370 for design work on two infrastructure projects and a one-year operating award to the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce.
The COG recommended up to $1,000,000 to the Town of South Cle Elum for full design and permitting of a replacement townwide water main system, and up to $1,100,000 to the City of Kittitas for design and permitting of a sanitary sewer extension into areas currently served by holding tanks. The COG also supported a $180,000 award to the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce for operational support related to economic development activities.
County staff described the South Cle Elum water project as a townwide replacement of water mains broken into four quadrants; the COG report included quadrant-level cost estimates that staff said could be in the range of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 per quadrant for full replacement and associated services. For the City of Kittitas, staff said design work would include environmental permitting, alternatives analysis for Main Street routing, costs to acquire easements if required, and a complete bid-ready design package.
Staff also presented a fund-balance snapshot for the county's public facilities fund (Fund 108). At the most recent review staff reported roughly $4,800,000 in fund balance; factoring in previously committed awards and absent any further receipts the fund balance would drop to about $2,700,000, staff said. Staff added that with ongoing remittances and receipts the county anticipates having roughly $2,000,000 in the fund by the end of the year even if the COG-supported awards proceed.
After discussion about project scope, permitting, easement needs and long-standing COG collaboration among cities and towns, county commissioners agreed to move forward and asked staff to prepare the enabling documents (resolutions and contracts) to implement the COG recommendations. County staff said the intent is to manage awarded design contracts through Public Works; the transcript records commissioners saying "Let's move forward," but does not record a formal, roll-call vote or a motion-maker and seconder on the record.
Ending: Staff will prepare resolutions and contracts to formalize the awards and will manage design contracts through Public Works; commissioners indicated support to proceed but the transcript does not include a formal recorded vote.
