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Washington County workshop adds E911 transfer, MSBU hike and property purchases to consent; websites and building code updates discussed
Summary
The board added an E911 bookkeeping transfer of $29,550, a 5% MSBU assessment increase and an administrator recommendation to buy county properties assessed $5,000 or greater to the consent agenda. Staff also briefed commissioners on procurement tied to disaster readiness, website vendor options, and a proposed Chapter 14 building ordinance change to cover short-term rentals.
Washington County commissioners on May 25 approved adding several administrative items to the consent agenda and heard updates on procurement, website redesign options and a proposed building ordinance amendment.
The board agreed to add an E911 transfer request totaling $29,550 to the consent agenda for bookkeeping purposes. Administrator staff characterized the transfer as accounting reclassification to apply grant receipts against expense lines.
The MSBU Advisory Committee representative asked the board to start public-hearing procedures for a committee-approved 5% assessment increase authorized under the ordinance. "At our last meeting, the committee voted to exercise our right to increase the MSBU assessment for the year 5% which is allowed under the ordinance," the MSBU representative said, adding current assessments were $40.72 per year and that the adjustment would make the assessment roughly $42.76 per year (the representative described the increase as about $0.17 per month). The board voted to add the MSBU item to the consent agenda to begin public-notice procedures.
The administrator also recommended the county proceed with title searches and purchase county-owned properties assessed at $5,000 or greater; the board agreed to add that recommendation to the consent agenda.
Procurement and website: Staff briefed the board on procurement updates tied to improving the county's FRC (pre-storm readiness) score to increase potential disaster funding. Commissioners discussed website redesign proposals from multiple vendors; staff presented cost comparisons and a staff recommendation. Stephen Schmidt of Carrian Marketing, who said his company supports about 40 government agencies, described his firm’s approach and emphasized ADA compliance, staff training and local support: "After launch, we provide recorded training so your staff can reference it at any time," Schmidt said.
Building ordinance update: The county attorney and building official reviewed proposed changes to Chapter 14 that expand fee authority, bring VRBO-style short-term rentals under the code's scope and give additional authority to the building official as required by statute. The attorney said adoption will require a public hearing and the board agreed to add the item to next week’s public-hearing calendar.
What happens next: Several items will appear on the consent agenda or be advertised for public hearing next week; no final appropriations or ordinance adoptions occurred at the workshop. Staff will process the E911 transfer, prepare public-notice materials for the MSBU assessment and move forward with title-search and acquisition steps for properties assessed at $5,000 or more. Commissioners kept the website decision as a regular agenda item so they can review vendor materials and meet with staff before deciding.
