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Clallam County authorizes sale of retiring deputies’ service weapons; property-surplus action postponed pending parcel numbers
Summary
The board approved a resolution allowing retiring deputies to buy back their service weapons at fair market value and opened a public hearing on declaring four county parcels surplus; commissioners postponed final action on the properties until parcel numbers are added to the resolution.
The Clallam County Board of Commissioners voted on Feb. 17 to authorize the sale of service weapons carried by retiring deputies, consistent with state statute and county practice, and to declare them surplus for sale to the deputies at fair market value. County staff explained the long-standing policy allowing officers to purchase their service firearms after retirement; during public comment, Mark Curtis said he "wholeheartedly endorse[d] this action" as a way to reclaim resources and support county operations.
Separately, staff presented a draft resolution proposing that four county-owned properties be declared surplus: two parcels near Peninsula College, a former public-works waste site at Hogback Road (where staff said a trade or in-kind exchange might be negotiated with an adjacent owner) and a 9.7-acre parcel off Old Mill Road surrounded by Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land and lacking road access. Linda Capps, the county right-of-way agent, said any final disposition would come back to the board and that the county’s objective is to return property to the tax rolls where feasible.
Several members of the public urged that the resolution be clear about parcel identifiers and sale method. Ed Bowen, who spoke online, recommended adding parcel numbers to the resolution and said selling to the highest bidder should be the default to maximize county benefit: "I would suggest this resolution needs to include the parcel numbers... sell these properties to the highest bidder to recover funds for the county." Commissioners agreed to add parcel numbers and postponed final action on the property-surplus resolution until staff updates the document and returns it for a later vote.
The firearms surplus resolution was adopted by voice vote and the county will proceed with the process, while the property-surplus resolution remains pending. Staff said that if the county pursues an in-kind trade (for example chip-seal material), it will verify that the value is equivalent to market value before final disposition and that any sale or trade will be approved by the commissioners when the resolution returns with parcel numbers.
