Kittitas County to close offices July 3 as commissioners approve reappointments and ratify Forest Practices Board letter

At its June 9 office administration meeting, the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners directed staff to close county offices on July 3, 2025, citing short staffing that day. The board asked staff to post signage in advance to notify the public.

Vice-Chair Cory Wright moved and Commissioner Brett Wachsmith seconded the reappointments of members to the Kittitas County Horticulture Pest & Disease Board; the motion carried 3-0. The transcript names Ben Kern and Harold Austin in connection with reappointments, but the record contains garbled and inconsistent term dates (the transcript lists multiple, conflicting effective/expiration dates). The transcript does not provide clear start and end dates for those appointments; the effective and expiration dates are not specified in a reliable way.

Commissioner Brett Wachsmith moved to ratify the Board’s signature on a letter to the Washington State Forest Practices Board regarding rulemaking; Vice-Chair Cory Wright seconded and the motion carried 3-0.

The Board also reviewed and signed county employee Personnel Action Forms and vouchers and reviewed the weekly correspondence log for the week ending June 6, 2025. Commissioners reviewed items on their internal whiteboard and determined social media content for the week, including a Juneteenth closure notice and promotion of a Field Day at Event Center — Teanaway Hall scheduled for June 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The meeting record lists attendees including Office Administrator Mandy Buchholz, Julie K;orsvik, Facilities Maintenance Director Patti Stacey and an unnamed clerk; the transcript lists Patti Stacey as a "member of the public" while also giving a title, and it includes some garbled text in the appointment section. The transcript records the meeting ending with an erroneous time of '9:79 a.m.' which appears to be a clerical error.