Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Intergovernmental Relations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cowlitz County reviews $263,000 in countywide membership dues; board agrees to pay
Summary
Finance director presented annual county membership dues to COG, state county organizations and economic development partners totaling about $263,000; commissioners discussed benefits to cities and county, and directed staff to proceed with payment from the adopted budget.
Kathy Funk Baxter, the county finance director, presented the county’s annual membership dues and related support payments, explaining how the items are charged from the general fund and how they tie to services and grant eligibility.
The largest line is the Council of Governments (COG) membership and related charges, which Kathy listed at $173,247. She broke that number into a general dues portion (about $112,000), a one‑time assessment (about $19,000), an EDA support grant match of $20,000 and a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) match of about $22,000. Kathy said the county has been a member of the COG since 1961 and cited program benefits including a medical rate stabilization pool, transportation planning and distribution of federal transportation funds in the region.
Bill Fasching, director of the Cowlitz‑Wakayama Council of Governments (COG), told commissioners the rate stabilization pool historically reduced insurance increases for participating employers and that the COG distributes federal transportation and economic development dollars that counties and cities cannot easily access without a regional entity. Commissioners and Mr. Fasching discussed how the distribution of COG‑administered funds tends to flow to cities where population concentrates, but noted county residents benefit regionally as well.
Kathy also reviewed other memberships: the Washington Association of Counties ($45,246), the Washington Association of County Officials (listed as $20,469 in the presentation), Cowlitz Economic Development Council (about $19,642), Kelso‑Longview Chamber of Commerce ($2,525) and National Association of Counties (about $2,109). Kathy said the dues were included in the adopted budget and that prior county direction required the new commission to review them before payment.
Commissioners probed value and fairness. One commissioner emphasized that county funding often supports programs that primarily benefit cities but said he was comfortable with that regional support. Another commissioner asked whether dues provide equivalent returns; elected officials who use Washington Association of County Officials and related affiliate services described daily and legislative support those organizations provide, including training, legislative tracking and coordinated advocacy.
The board discussed efficiency and consolidation of state affiliates: several elected officials in the room urged consideration of combining overlapping organizations (for example, the affiliate bodies that represent elected offices and the statewide county association) to reduce duplication and costs. One elected speaker noted her affiliate had hired its own lobbyist because its needs outgrew the broader association’s capacity.
After discussion, the board directed staff to process payment from the adopted budget and keep the memberships in place for 2025 while members continue conversations about coordination and efficiencies among the statewide associations.
