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Chamber seeks clearer ADO expectations and more staff in quarterly update to Kittitas County commissioners
Summary
At an April 22 special meeting, Amy McGuffin of the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce briefed commissioners on the Q1 2025 ADO report, said the Chamber faces staffing and funding constraints, requested clear two‑year ADO expectations and personnel funding, and outlined initiatives including a microgrant pilot and grant‑writing successes.
ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Amy McGuffin, chief executive officer of the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, told the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners on April 22 that the Chamber needs clearer two‑year expectations and additional personnel funding to meet its role as the county’s designated ADO.
“I would like the expectations of the ADO for the next two years to be very clear: what they will and will not be expected to do,” McGuffin said, and added that she would like “the opportunity to ask for personnel funding because I need more resources to achieve the things the Chamber has been asked to do.” She presented the Q1 2025 Washington SBDC & ADO Partnership County Activity & Impact Report and distributed handouts summarizing county activity and proposed goals.
McGuffin said the Chamber has taken on many ADO responsibilities but is challenged by staffing and resourcing limits. She told commissioners the Chamber has hired two consultants to assist with branding and communications for economic development and agritourism but still needs additional administrative personnel to implement programs. The Chamber is launching a microgrant program and is continuing work on a 10‑year strategic plan intended to guide local economic development priorities.
The board and McGuffin discussed business development opportunities in Ellensburg. McGuffin recommended commissioners tour the Tenino Agricultural Park to see a model for a public‑sector agricultural site and said the Chamber could help implement similar public components in Ellensburg.
McGuffin also described the Chamber’s role within a Regional Economic Development Partnership, shared survey results intended to refine a countywide definition of “economic development,” and said the Chamber plans to host a website and dashboard that will publish the agreed definition to standardize language used in grant applications and proposals. She reported that the Chamber’s ADO grant‑writing program is producing projects for the county and framed increased staff capacity as necessary to pursue those opportunities.
No motions or formal votes were recorded during the special meeting. Chairman Laura Osiadacz opened the meeting at 1:30 p.m.; Vice‑Chairman Cory Wright was listed as excused. The meeting concluded at 2:38 p.m.
