Clark County councilors direct staff to continue negotiations with Cowlitz Tribe over Tri Mountain Golf Course sale

Clark County Councilors on Jan. 22 unanimously directed staff to continue negotiating a purchase-and-sale agreement with the Cowlitz Tribe for Tri Mountain Golf Course, with councilors asking staff to pursue language that would prevent the property from being placed into a federal land trust and to pursue an intergovernmental agreement to preserve the course as a public golf facility.

The directive came after staff described the bidding process and the financing context. The county set a minimum acceptable bid of $3,525,000; according to staff, one bid met that minimum and a separate $5,000,000 bid that would have allowed the bidder to remove use restrictions after five years was declared nonresponsive to the terms of the RFP. Staff said the course has built some reserves in recent years but historically has required general-fund support for loan payments and facilities repairs.

Why it matters: Councilors and multiple public speakers said they want Tri Mountain to remain an affordable public golf course. Staff…