Kittitas County schedules June 16 hearing on comprehensive plan update; commissioners consider consent-agenda items

Kittitas County staff asked the Board of Commissioners to set a public hearing for 2 p.m. on June 16 to consider enabling documents for the county’s comprehensive plan periodic update and associated development regulations.

"We're at the finish line," said Chaviella, identified in the record as CDS director, urging the board to schedule the hearing so the review can proceed.

The meeting also included multiple consent-agenda items that staff described for the board. Public Works Director Josh Frederickson requested a two-year extension of a local license to allow a roadway through airport property (Lot C37); he said the airport advisory committee supported the extension. Frederickson also identified seven pieces of equipment the county plans to declare surplus — including a pickup, a GPS unit and two mowers with attachments — and asked that a public hearing on the surplus be set for 2 p.m. on June 16, 2026. He cited the county surplus process under RCW 36.34.080.

Devin Duncan of the sheriff’s office described an amendment increasing funds awarded originally in 2022 by the Washington State Health Care Authority to cover technology, additional law-enforcement clerk hours, nursing time and medication purchases. Charles Smith of the auditor’s office described an on-call engineering-services agreement request with Holt's BHU Engineers and change orders for a rodeo arena and the Emergency Operations Center and search-and-rescue facility in Cle Elum.

A staff representative asked the board to approve a temporary closure of the lower county transfer station on July 13 to move operations to a new facility; staff said reopening would follow the move. Staff also described commerce funding for public services loans and said they will invite HopeSource to present as part of the public-notice process for those funds.

The chair moved to approve the consent agenda and the motion was seconded in the recorded segments; the provided transcript excerpts do not contain a recorded roll-call or final tally. Several items were presented as requests or notices and the transcript does not show final board action for every request in the provided segments.

Why it matters: The comprehensive-plan hearing and the consent-agenda items affect land-use rules, county property, public services funding and local capital projects. Surplus equipment and license extensions affect public-works operations and developer timelines; changes to Health Care Authority awards affect law enforcement and care resources.

Next steps: The record shows hearings and public-notice steps scheduled for June 16; the board moved into executive session later in the meeting to address site-acquisition and related negotiations.