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County staff proposes facilities internal service fund; updates on animal control kennel and land swaps
Summary
Savannah Clement (public services) proposed evaluating an internal service fund to bill departments for facilities costs (initially by square footage) aiming to reduce general‑fund pressure; staff also updated the board on an animal‑control kennel project with initial bids (~$150,000) and zoning steps with the city of Longview.
Cowlitz County public‑services staff proposed a structural change to how the county pays for facilities on Tuesday and provided project updates on animal control and a possible land swap.
Savannah Clement asked the board for direction to explore creating an internal service fund that would bill county departments for facilities services. "Currently facilities is a general fund allocation of roughly $3.2 million," Clement said; under the internal service model departments that use facilities would be charged based on square footage or, in time, a work‑order charge model to better align costs with usage. She said the change is early‑stage, would require legal review and could reduce the general‑fund burden while spreading costs across enterprise departments that currently do not pay for facilities services.
Commissioners asked how the change would affect departments such as Public Works and Expo (which historically have not paid facilities charges); staff replied that initial billing by square footage is an audit‑proof approach used in other allocation contexts and that a move to a charge‑based, work‑order system could follow once a system is in place.
Savannah also updated the board on animal control: weekly project meetings continue on converting a county‑owned building into an operable kennel. Initial bids for building work were roughly $150,000; additional roof and siding work is expected to raise the total but not double it, staff said. The sheriff's office has a target readiness date of July 1 tied to zoning and planning changes the city of Longview is incorporating into its process.
Separately, commissioners asked about land swaps for county property inside Longview city limits; staff cited a recent event center PDA land swap handled by the PA's office (completed in 2017) and noted typical provisions such as sunset clauses that may revert property if not used for the intended purpose.
What happens next: staff will work with finance and legal to develop a proposal and numbers for an internal service fund, coordinate with Sean on allocation calculations and return with a draft for board consideration. Staff will also continue designs, bids and RFQ work for the kennel project and pursue zoning timelines with Longview.
