Good morning and welcome
everyone. Calling to order
Clark County Council Tuesday,
August 4th, 2026. If you'll
join me in standing for the
Pledge of Allegiance and remain
standing for the invocation
today, it will be Keith Miller
from the Countywide Chaplaincy.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which
it stands one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
>> About with me. Heavenly
father, we thank you for the
opportunity to gather in
service to our community. Thank
you for the freedoms we enjoy
and for the privilege of
serving our neighbors. Grant us
the wisdom, humility, and
discernment as we consider the
matters before us today. Help
us listen well, speak honestly,
and make decisions with
integrity and conviction that
promote the safety and
well-being of everyone in this
county. We also pray for the
firefighters battling the
wildfires across this region.
Given the strength, endurance,
wisdom and protection. Bring
comfort to those affected by
the fires and grant favorable
conditions in aid in bringing
them under control. May all we
do today honor you and
faithfully serve those
entrusted to our care. In Jesus
name, Amen.
>> Okay. Thank you. Let's move
on to the roll call. Michele.
Councilor young here.
>> Councilor Belkot is not here
today. Councilor Fuentes here.
Councilor young, I mean,
Councilor Little. Sorry.
Present. And Jim Marchel here.
Thank you.
>> Okay. Are there any
amendments to the agenda?
>> Yes, I have two for council.
I would like to remove item
number five under separate
business and then add a number
seven. It's a public defense
contract.
>> Okay. So noted. That brings
us to open public comment. You
can, speak on any topic related
to county business and also on
the consent and separate
business items. And just a
reminder, keep your comments to
three minutes and, keep them
civil related to county
business and refrain from
making statements that are
disruptive to conducting county
business. Has anyone signed up?
>> Yes. Carmen de Lehan.
>> Yeah. My name is Carmen de
Lehan. I go by Melo and I was
looking at number seven like
she said. And it talks about
the water. And in case you
haven't been looking at the
news lately, our water has been
threatened throughout the
country. The they say that the
hackers have went and disturbed
our water supply in ancient
times, the Romans and things
like that. In order to shut
down a village, they would cut
off the water supply. They were
a definite threat because, you
know, water is life. We're 80%
water. So that being said, and
since you say that it is open
public comment, and I believe
that the safety of our country
is utmost importance, priority
number one. So when you're
allowing people into this
country, who and I quote,
Islamic preacher, when Muslims
become the majority in the West
in the next 40 years,
non-Muslims will have to pay a
jitsi or be killed because
their Sharia law. And that's
what Muslims. That's why I
don't think security of our
country is racism. It's
security. And when we say
banning them coming to this
country, it's our own safety.
This is what another one said,
because I'm not allowed to say,
I'm going to come up here and
do any harm. But they're
allowed into country knowing
that, oh, by the way, they're
outbreeding us 10 to 1, because
in our country we say, abort.
Abort. Oh, you're so empowered.
Yeah. Why don't you shut your
legs, lady? Because they're
killing their babies and
they're having ten apiece on
your food stamp dollar. So when
I say these people are breeding
us and they're talking about 40
years, I can see that because
in the past, what, since the
60s, over 100 million babies
have been aborted. We would be
a population of over 400,000,
400 million instead of just 350
million. But hey, we don't need
all those, you know, US
citizens. Now you go kill that
mistake you had the other night.
Anyways, it says Hamas. Our
issues, not with the
Palestine's, our issues killing
every non-Muslim. We will
pursue Jews and Christians all
over the world. Either they
will convert to Islam or we
will kill them. So to me,
that's not really a godly
religion because my God says,
hey, you know, forgive and be
forgiven. Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.
And I know you don't want me
doing this to you just because
you're not one of my religion.
So when our and I've told you
before, they can lie straight
to your face and it's seen as a
blessing because either they
got somebody dead or they got
somebody converted. So that's
why when Trump went and talked
about peace to his face,
they're saying, yeah, we're
going to we're going to open
the the waterway and there's
going to be a cease fire. They
were lying to his face and
bombing him behind his back
because they can lie to us and
they do it constantly. And you
should tell the legislators to
agree. No more Muslims in this
country.
>> Is there anyone else?
>> God bless America.
>> Chair. That's all. We have
signed up in the room. Is there
anybody else that would like to
speak that did get a chance to
sign up on the sign up sheet?
Then we have two online.
>> Okay.
>> Well, there was two. Oh
there's one. Caller you've been
sent a request to unmute.
Please go ahead and do so.
State your name for the record
and go ahead with your comment.
Caller it looks like yes.
>> This is Kimberly Gavenn
Elbon. Good morning. Thank you
for the prayer vote today. It's
the last day some people know
and believe they have a call to
duty from God, our creator. One
of my duties is to bring
accountability and transparency
to the people of Clark County.
Washington, USA. About our
local government and our
unconstitutional law and
justice system. Especially now
that my son, Cleghon Rengulbai,
is a victim of many,
constitutional violations here
in the Clark County judicial
system. I'll read on Washington.
Also, I'll say this, that I've
attended three meetings, for
the law and justice and have
been denied access. Washington
state mandated every county to
establish a local law and
justice Council in 1987,
through the enactment of state
legislation codified under our
CW72 .09.300, it is to
encourage local and state
governments to form
partnerships, reduce
duplication, and share
resources regarding the
management of offenders and
correctional systems. Every
county legislation, authority
must adopt a resolution,
resolution or ordinance to form
the council. It includes the
county sheriff, county
prosecutor, jail administrator,
county clerk, risk manager,
superior district juvenile,
municipal courts,
representative, city municipal
police and prosecutor
representatives and the state
secretary of corrections. Also,
there are no laws, policies, or
statutes that permit a law and
justice Council, especially
here in Clark County, to bar
the public from attending the
meetings as a whole. In fact,
Washington state law explicitly
mandates that these meetings
remain open to the public
because law and justice
councils are created by county
ordinances to advise local
government on public policy.
They qualify as governing
bodies of public subagencies.
Therefore, they must comply
fully with the Washington State
Open Public Meetings Act under
chapter 42.30. Oh yeah, I got
off here. And, anyway, I want
to let people know that, we
need to, my timers are going
off. So if I need to, I'm going
to get a specific, specific
policy draft. I'm going to
order those because the Law and
Justice Council is a subagency
created by local ordinances. It
is it is legally bound to the
state's open meeting standards.
The county provides local
compliance checklist and public
meeting transparency, resources.
And so, I'm letting you know
now, especially, our county
manager, Kathleen Otto, that
those meetings are to be open
there is.
>> Okay. Thank you. Your time
is up. Is there one more?
>> There are two more.
>> Two more.
>> Caller you've been sent a
request to unmute. Please go
ahead and do so. State your
name for the record and go
ahead with your comment. Teresa
Hardy, you were sent a request
to unmute. Can you go ahead and
unmute yourself and go ahead
with your comment?
>> Can you hear me?
>> Yes we can.
>> I'm going to be addressing
the Clark County rules of
procedures that were, decided.
Suggestions were made at the
729 County Council meeting. And
I'm going to be addressing
attendance by, Clark County
councilors. And on page six, as
you talked about, it says while
council meetings can be
attended in person or virtually,
it is preferred that councilors
attend in person and preferred
means that that's really what
they should be doing most of
the time. Yes, we understand
that, councilors sometimes have
to have a second job, and the
job has other requirements. So
there are times when they may
be missing, there may be
vacation time, there may be
times when they're not feeling
well, but preferred means that
they show up most of the time
in person. On page 17, it says
councilors should strive for
excellence. So excellent means
that you're there must be
engaged. And then on page 18,
it refers to, what you are
supposed to be in attendance at.
And that is already work
sessions, Council times,
Tuesday council meetings. And
we have a county councilor
where people have showed up in
person and online and expressed
complaints about the lack of
attendance, either in person or
actually even attending or
while online. We don't see the
person engaged. The person may
not. This counselor may not
ever say anything during the
whole meeting. They don't ask
questions. They don't
contribute. They don't, they
don't add any extra insight
into what comes up in county
council meetings. And there's a
strong possibility that this
person could get reelected.
Those people that are engaged
in county council meetings and
follow what's happening in the
county, they understand the
lack of participation by a
councilor, but there are people
who do not know. And if we get
another four years of the lack
of participation that we have
received, what is the
enforcement and the
consequences around this lack
of attendance, lack of
disengagement, which has
created a loss of public trust
and respect around the person
in this position. So as you
look at rules and procedures
and we move forward on
implementing the comp plan, and
we have a councilor who's not
engaged, how and what does the
council do to make sure that
this person does step up and
really do their job? Thank you.
>> Thank you.
>> Chair. That concludes public
comment.
>> Okay. Thank you very much
for all those comments. We're
moving on to the consent agenda
items one through 13. Is there
any item anyone would like to
pull? Chair yes.
>> I'd like to pull item number
five. We don't need staff for
this.
>> Item five okay. Anyone else?
Okay, then I'll entertain a
motion to approve the consent
agenda one through 13. Omitting
item five.
>> So moved.
>> Thank you. It's been moved,
moved and seconded. All those
in favor say I, I motion
carries. Okay. Item five.
Councilor young.
>> Just wanted to bring this
one out to the public because
it is sad. These are some trees
here actually. You can see them
both right here through the
shades. They're taller than our
building. It's sad to see them
go and, you know, goes to speak
about some of the challenges
we're experiencing. We, we
believe they were challenged by
the, some of the, you know, the,
the beetle problems that we're
having with trees, but sad to
see them go and just hoping
that that staff can work to try
to see if there's a way that we
can preserve and stop some of
these trees that are dying down
here. Because I read this, the
staff report, and there's quite
a bit of our of our old aging
trees and growths dying around
the public service center. But,
I see Michelle on there if
you've had any comments, go
ahead. But otherwise I just
wanted to recognize and so the
public is aware.
>> Yeah, it is very sad that
we're seeing this happening
with a lot of our trees in the
downtown area. So, we are
working with our forestry
department and our grounds crew
department, and hopefully we
can get this to stop.
>> So. Chair.
>> Yes, go ahead.
>> Will, will they be replaced
or replanted?
>> Yeah. The city does make us,
put in new trees whenever we
take out a tree. So we will be
putting something back in. I'm
not aware of what exactly at
this time, but hopefully we can
get something similar to what's
currently there, but it'll take
many, many years to get to the
place where those trees were
because they are definitely old
historical trees.
>> So thank you.
>> Other comments. I would just
add that the heat dome some
years ago did a lot of damage
to trees, but they've been
slowly dying. So you don't it's
hard to connect. Cause and
effect related to some of the
weather challenges. Do you want
to make a motion?
>> Yeah, I'll move approval of
item number five.
>> Okay. It's been moved.
>> Second.
>> Moved and seconded. All
those in favor say I. I I I
motion carries. Thank you. Then
we'll be moving on to separate
business item number one. The
auditor's sheriff district
court Diane rathbun hello. And
Mitchell, good to see you.
>> Yeah. I just wanted to let
you know that I.
>> Is that better? There we go.
Thank you. I have been working
with the district court and the
sheriff's office, to submit an
application under round two of
the HB Public Safety Program
grant. We recently, we had
submitted round one and we were
recently funded, but we are
eligible to apply under round
two as well. So, we decided to
do that after having a
conversation with the district
court. And primarily our
request is, to support their
electronic monitoring programs.
They have one for, electronic
monitoring with victim
notification technology.
There's drug testing and then
there's electronic and
transdermal alcohol monitoring
programs. These programs are a
collaborative effort with the
Vancouver PD, the sheriff's
office, Superior Court, and the
jail, to provide pretrial
options and alternatives to
incarceration. So they allow
real time monitoring of
individuals charged with
domestic violence and allow for
notification to the victims and
law enforcement. Should those
individuals approach the
victim's location, substance
use testing and post
disposition, electronic and
transdermal alcohol monitoring.
And it serves as a tool to help
prevent crime, potential crime
and, allow those individuals to
stay in the community versus
being housed in the jail while
they're waiting trial. So which
has provided a significant
savings to, the county for the
sheriff's office. We're
requesting funds to support an,
an alternative light source for
crime scene processing,
training, weapons and
protective gear. Two, three
month recruitment campaigns and,
support for the police activity
league, to help build and
support, law enforcement
engagement with young people
across the county. So are there
any questions?
>> Thank you very much. I know
we were fortunate to, secure a
grant from the first round. How
much was that? That we received?
>> Just under 5 million.
>> Okay. Yes. That's great. And
so I'm really pleased to see
that we're going right back out
there and asking for more.
Other comments?
>> Yeah, really quick question.
You mentioned, Diane, that this
program allows for a
significant savings to the
county, which is approximately
almost $50 million, as opposed
to incarcerating folks. Right,
right. What happens if we do
not get approved for this grant?
What happens to this program?
>> I know that the, I'm not
completely sure the grant, the
original grant funding in
support of the program has
ended. And so I know that the
district court is working with
their collaborators and
stakeholders to determine long
term funding and sustainability.
I know that Marianne Clear is
here, and I'm sure if there are
further questions that I don't
know about, she's happy to come
forward and answer that
question. But I think the hope
is that this grant funding
would give them that window of
opportunity of supporting it
through June of 2026. And while
they determine that long term.
>> So the hope is that we can
figure out the expectation. The
hope is that we get approved
for the grant and there's a
good chance that we are we get
approved for round one, so
there's a good chance we get
approved for round two. But in
the event that this does, and I
hope that we can figure out how
to continue providing this
program because of the
significant savings to the
taxpayer. And because we're at
capacity at the jail. Yes. So
thank you.
>> You bet.
>> Go ahead.
>> Chair, just wanted to thank
the council for making it. What
was a tough decision to collect
the law, the criminal justice
sales tax. If we hadn't done
that, we would not be eligible
for these grants. So and I
appreciate your work and I
absolutely am supportive. I
think that that program is
something that has to continue
for sure. Yeah.
>> I'd also like to thank the
council for funding your
position, which I think. You
proven to be a wise decision.
Is this a multiyear grant?
>> It goes through June of 2028.
28 with with very little
likelihood of the time being
extended.
>> Right. And that's a good
thing to know. And we were
fortunate to have previous
grants for this program. This
is provided to, as I understand,
indigent folks who otherwise
wouldn't be able to afford it.
And I think it underscores the
justice part of the law and
justice system to be able to do
this. So, but it's a note to
the future future councils,
that, if we want to continue
this program, we'll need to
secure funding for it. So any
other questions? I'll entertain
a motion then to approve item
one.
>> I move to approve item
number one.
>> Second moved and seconded.
All those in favor say I. I I
motion carries. Thank you very
much.
>> Thank you.
>> Okay, then on to Public
Works. Laura Henry. Good to see
you again. Good morning.
>> Good morning counselors. The
business we have in front in
front of you today is to, for
you to approve a resolution
granting the, the authority for
the county manager to sign a
right of way deed, a dedication
deed. It's a little background
information on this particular
situation is in 2007, Clark
County acquired the parcel that
you see highlighted in red, as
part of a planned improvement
and the extension of 94th
Avenue. This parcel is located
on the south side of 119th,
next to the Glenwood Ball
fields and across the street
from busy farms. For those who
are out in the, the community,
this acquisition, excuse me,
this parcel was, is in the
alignment of the arterial atlas.
Which is likely why the county
purchased this property in the
first place. And, a little
additional information is
approximately 2014 during the
project development of 119th,
I'm sorry, 94th Avenue. The
project limits were shortened
to end at 99th Street, which
left this parcel that we're
talking about. As a continued
as a vacant piece of land
because the county purchased
the entire parcel rather than
just a portion of it. This
resulted in creating a tax
parcel and not, not designated
as right of way. So, so
currently there is a, a planned
site that's been recently
submitted to community
development for, a subdivision.
This is the preliminary, plan
and community development
approached me and asked for
about whether this was right of
way or a, land. And I said, at
this point it's a private
parcel. And so this is why I'm
in front of you today is to
have, the Council declare that
this be changed the use to
right of way so that that
extension of that road could be
continued through, to help
support the, the subdivision.
So in order for this to happen,
the tax parcel that was
purchased in 2007 needs to be
transformed from the raw land
into right of way. And as a
result, staff is requesting
council to approve the
resolution.
>> Okay. Thank you. Are there
any questions from council? Go
ahead.
>> Are we purchasing just the
amount of right of way for the
road or repurchasing the whole
parcel?
>> We purchased it in 2007. Oh,
so it was.
>> Part of.
>> It was part of the extension
of the road. And, it didn't
happen for, you know, the
projects develop and shrink and
expand all the time. And for
this case, we just have kind of
an orphan sitting here. So we
purchased this in 2007.
>> Okay. And then just a, you
know, question. So the, the,
the Glenwood Landing
subdivision that's not yet
built.
>> That's correct.
>> Okay. So the developer, as
part of their plan, need to
dedicate 94,000 new as right of
way.
>> No, it well, that's the job
in front of excuse me. That's
the job in front of you folks
today is that we it is county
owned property. It's a chunk of
land. It's a full parcel of
land. In order for a road to
get constructed on that, we
need to have it converted to
right of way.
>> Right. But that's the that's
the parcel to the north. I was
curious about the actual.
>> All the interior, all the
interior roads that are not
there yet would be dedicated
per the plat.
>> Okay. It just kind of brings
up a kind of an odd point where,
you know, the, the first
developer comes in here and
they have to create that. They
have to dedicate that right of
way. And just north of it, you
know, that property is not
developing in the county
purchases the right of way.
It's just an interesting thing
about how the process works.
And, kind of the first, first
developments that come in often
end up kind of taking the brunt
of some of that infrastructure,
but doesn't have anything to do
with approval. I'm supportive
of approving it. Just thought
it was interesting to point out.
>> It is interesting. Yes.
>> Does, 94th is that road
exists that continues to the.
>> Not yet currently today,
it's just a it's an it looks
like it's part of the ball
field, honestly.
>> Okay. And so there's no
railroad crossing that would
need to,
>> Eventually there would need
to be a railroad crossing. Yeah.
>> All right. Sure. Yes. Go
ahead.
>> What are the positions of
the adjacent landowners? Are
they supportive? And also
further question from the chair.
What plans have been made to
extend the 94th south of the
railroad?
>> I don't know. Hold on.
>> That's out of.
>> Her area. In the room.
>> Thanks for coming up.
>> Sure. Good morning. Council.
Jeremy Provenza, county
Engineer. With respect to your
question about the plans for
94th Avenue south of the
railroad tracks or that
crossing, that would be
privately financed. So as
development comes in south of
the railroad tracks, they would
be conditioned to dedicate and
build that connection.
>> But there's no been no
agreement from the landowners
or any plans yet to do that. So
if they built it in the
Glenwood Landing subdivision,
it would just end at the
railroad tracks.
>> For now.
>> Okay. And what is there any
position or is there support
from the adjacent landowners
for this decision today? Is
there a do you know what the
positions of the adjacent
landowners are?
>> I do not know what the
positions of adjacent
landowners. This request came
from, community development to
public works to have this
converted so this development
could move forward for traffic
circulation. But as far as a
discussion with property owners,
I've not had any and I'm
unaware of whatever their
positions may or may not be.
>> Are they aware and have you
received any complaints?
>> No, I don't really know how
to answer that. But I do know
that since this is a
subdivision, there will be a
public hearing and there will
be plenty of time for the
community to put their input
for the public hearing process
on that.
>> Okay.
>> Thank you.
>> Any other questions from
Council Chair?
>> Just one quick comment. This
isn't for you guys. This would
be more for like community
planning or community
development. But you know, here
we are. Look at all those
houses that are being built
right on the railroad line. So
I'm curious what, you know, you
know, we've got to, we've got
to start talking about railroad
sometime soon and what the long
term plans are for it and
looking at our code and seeing
if the adjacent development is
proper for what our long term
plans are with the railroad.
>> That's a very good point.
And the council won't be
involved with the permitting of
this development. And you're
just narrowly asking for that
segment today. So, is there,
further discussion or a motion?
And this one, there's a, it's a
resolution. Is this a roll call
or just okay, but the
resolution is, 2026 0804.
>> So moved.
>> Thank you. Second.
>> Moved and seconded. All
those in favor say I.
>> I.
>> I motion carries. Thank you,
thank you. Okay. Item three. Oh,
Laura, it's you again.
>> Good morning again,
councilors. For the record, my
name is Laura Henry. Slide. I
manage the real property
services section in Public
works. So the business we have
in front of you today is the
another dedication. But this
time it is from our two, from
the county to the city. So a
little background information
that this isn't inside the city
limits. So Clark County
purchased excuse me. Tax parcel
176384-00 0 in 1956 with the
with the purpose of using it as
a gravel resource for gravel
pit. This parcel was never
utilized as a gravel pit by
public works. And in 1982, the
county entered into a long
lease, with Harmony Harmony's
Sports Association, which
manages and operates this
facility today and is commonly
known as the Harmony Sports
Complex. Over the last, over
the last four decades, the
county has partnered with the
Harmony Sports Association to
transform this piece of
property into a major year
round recreational hub, that
supports baseball, softball,
soccer, and ultimate Frisbee.
The complex, success has
continued to grow and has and
has eventually led to some long
standing access and parking
challenges. In 2018, the
association secured a
Washington state grant to
enhance the park to include
improving the entrance and
upgrading the facilities.
Upgraded the internal
circulation and paving the
parking lot. Because this piece
of property now lies within the
city of Vancouver city limits,
the city requires additional
right of way as a condition of
approval of the park
improvements. The dedication
will satisfy the city's
requirements, providing a 60
foot half width right of way,
which will meet the city's
transportation needs. Currently,
the city is developing
improvements along 192nd Avenue
and Northeast 18th Street, and
construction is going to be
dependent upon when they get
funding. And as a result,
staffers requesting council to
approve the resolution to
authorize the county manager to
execute the right of way deed
to the city. This concludes my
presentation. Do you have any
questions?
>> Thank you. Are there any
questions?
>> I do really quick question.
So I'm very familiar with the
Harmony sports complex. Rain or
shine. It's always being
utilized. And I've been one of
those individuals that have
been stuck in traffic, when
people are, entering or exiting
the facility because 192nd and
this stretch is only a two lane,
road. So, what this does this
resolution, it helps improve
internal circulation. So the 60
foot hang on a second.
>> Go back to the, the map.
>> And let me ask you, this is
192nd a county road or city
road.
>> It's a city road.
>> It is a city road. Do you
know if the city has any plans
of widening 192nd.
>> Okay.
>> Yes they do. They have. It
is in their their equivalent of
a six year tip, which includes
1/92 and and 18th.
>> Perfect.
>> And they'll be whether, you
know, can you speak more to
what their plans are? Do you
know,
>> Jeremy Provenzano county
engineer, a little reluctant to
speak to the specifics on that
because I don't recall offhand
what was conceptual and what
was actually part of their
design. But yes, and that's
okay. I mean.
>> That's the city. The city's
handling that. That's fine. I
was more curious and interested
in that, whether it was a count,
if it was a county than we we
needed to look at widening the
road. But if the city is
responsible for that, good for
them. I think it should have
happened some time ago, but
it's better that it happens
sooner than later.
>> Yeah. And they are eager to
make those improvements.
>> They are or aren't.
>> They are.
>> Or they are. Okay. Good.
>> And some of that
improvements just require that
the dedication of the county
owned property.
>> Perfect. Thank you.
>> Go ahead.
>> Yeah. And this is where the
new crossing is. The new exit
from the parking lot onto 1/92
at the light. Yes. Is crossing
that right?
>> Yes. Okay. So that that's
already built. And that was,
you know, they the county got
permitted to install those
improvements as a condition of
approval for that. This the 60
foot dedication is required.
>> Okay, great. They'll be
probably less political signs
on that street. Might like that.
>> And then just really a quick
question. So harmony sports
complex is within the city of
Vancouver.
>> It is.
>> But we own.
>> The county owns it.
>> The county.
>> Originally bought it to be a
gravel resource as a pet.
>> Okay, okay. Thank you.
>> Okay. Any other questions?
Hearing none, I'll entertain a
motion to approve. And this is
resolution 2026 0805.
>> Okay. Motion to approve.
Separate business item number
three second.
>> Okay. It's been moved and
seconded. All those in favor
say I.
>> I.
>> I motion carries. Thank you
very much. Okay, moving on to
item four. And this is Danielle
and Jenny. Good to see you.
>> Good morning Council. Well,
Jenny Kocher, deputy director,
Clark County Public Works and
here today with Danielle Cowley,
who is the Legacy Lands Program
coordinator. And we're here to
talk about a property
acquisition that touches on
clean water, land access,
habitat preservation, and
touches on some of our climate
goals. So with that, I'll turn
it over to Danielle.
>> Good morning Council.
Danielle Cowley, Legacy lands
program coordinator. So we are
here today to request approval
for a resolution to create a
capital project and authorize
the county Manager to execute
the purchase and sale agreement,
except the statutory warranty
deed, and execute all necessary
closing documents. Amendments
to acquire the property from
the Massey Family Joint Trust.
We're going to go to slide
number two. So the Massey
property is in teal on the
south side. Across the street
is Alderbrook Park. If you're
familiar with that location,
this is in the Upper Salmon
Creek watershed in Hawkinson.
It's about two miles from the
headwaters of Salmon Creek.
This property was identified as
a high value conservation land
through the county's watershed
based planning process. And
we'll go to the next slide. So
why is this property and why
why this property? Right.
That's the question everybody
asks. Not every property in the
sub area becomes available for
conservation. This one aligns
and and is is unique because
the family came to the county
to initiate the acquisition.
The property score is high
because of the stream corridor.
There's 22 lineal feet of
Salmon Creek in the property.
It has a forest throughout. You
know, it is a forest 40 parcel.
The. The acquisition was
reviewed by the Parks Advisory
Board and recommended to move
forward to your approval today.
It is a willing seller, willing
buyer property, and it's 21.4
acres. Next slide. This allows
the county to act on a unique
opportunity while staying
consistent with the adopted
Capital Improvement Plan. When
Council adopted the Natural
Areas Acquisition Plan, the
Upper Salmon Creek Sub area was
identified as one of the
county's priority conservation
areas. Because of the fish
bearing stream, the working
forest and intact watershed
function. Salmon Creek drains
89mi² in central Clark County.
It is the largest watershed in
the entirety of Clark County.
The creek flows westward for 26
miles from Elkhorn Mountain
into Lake River. Next slide.
And so the the family probably
is online potentially with us
today, but we are seeking
approval of a resolution to
start this process, to acquire
this property and move it
forward.
>> Thank you very much. And I
just if the family I'd like to
thank the family for coming
forward and offering this to us.
Any questions or comments?
>> Go ahead.
>> I have a couple. What is the
current use and zoning of the
property.
>> For us? 40 with the
potential of one home built
based on the code.
>> Okay. And there's no home.
>> There's no it is current
forest 40.
>> Great. And then this being
the first purchase in this area,
do we I mean, do we have an ex
like a plan in place for our
envisioning of that area? We're
going to be going to continue
to develop or not develop, but
add to the properties that we
own. Or is it this is like the
first one. And so we don't
really have a, a plan at this
point. Just a little bit about
how that system works would be
great.
>> Yeah. So the watershed based
model identified this property
along Salmon Creek. We will
look at other adjacent
landowners. It's a willing
seller willing buyer program.
The intention is to conserve
the upper headwaters for fish
bearing streams. And you know,
the habitat in general. If
there was an intention to do
something related to public
access, we would go through a
master plan process. But that
right now it's more about
conservation for us on this
parcel. Okay. And we have had
adjacent landowner
conversations. So the intention.
>> Is to be my next question is,
do we try to keep or try to
look at contiguous. Yes. Okay.
>> What I would add is parks
and lands jointly are
initiating the parks system
plan, which also includes the
Natural Areas acquisition plan.
And this is the opportunity for
that outreach to really talk to
the citizens and see what they
want and help shape what that
development and strategy would
look like. So that is ongoing.
>> Great. Looks like a great
property to start with. And I
echo the chair's comments. I
appreciate the landowners for
being willing to come to us.
>> Sure.
>> Yes. Please go ahead.
>> Yeah. This is awesome. What
is? So will this end up in our
inventory for harvest? It
managing, managing it
sustainably over time. And I
remember we requested some kind
of work session with our
forester to talk about long
term management of all our
lands. Is that still on the is
that on the books at some point?
And and will this be part of
that strategy? Because I at
least my perspective is that we
would manage it sustainably
still, get some benefits
locally of products, but we
would be focused more on
sustainably managing, like the
older growth characteristics of
the forest versus, trying to
get the maximum capacity out of
it.
>> Yeah. So I can answer maybe
one of the questions. And the
one question that you ask is,
would this move into the, the
FSC certified forests? And we
have discussed this, Kevin and
I have discussed this. We need
to actually do an inventory and
confirm that it would it would
go into that program. But that
is a potential. And then I'm
not sure about the forestry
side of things.
>> That's the question I can
answer. I do recall this. Kevin
and I have been working to
schedule it. I think it would
be late this year, early next
year, and it aligns with one of
the forestry plans that he's
initiating now. So yes, great.
>> Looking forward to that.
Obviously.
>> Great.
>> Thanks for the reminder
about that work session. I
recall that we asked for that
too. So that would be that
would be great. Is there
spawning habitat in this reach?
>> Yeah. Just below is where
the the fish are spawning at
the top end. It's salmon falls
is on private property and they
kind of go down there. So yeah.
>> Okay.
>> It's not too far.
>> Great. And then I would just
remind folks that, you know,
these, there's a long range
vision that we have with the
Legacy Lands program. And I
look at the East Fork and how
many years we've been working
on the East Fork and, having a
contiguous, stretch along the
river there. So this may be one
of the first purchases. And
we'll keep that long range
vision going. So, with that,
this is.
>> I just.
>> Have.
>> A quick. Yes. Please go
ahead.
>> I want to echo what my
colleagues have said. Thank you
to the family for coming
forward and offering this,
these 21 acres of what looks
like untouched, forest property.
Now, I think you may have said,
I think Councilor Young asked
this question, but are there
other properties adjacent to
this to this property that may
be up for sale in the future?
>> Yes.
>> There are.
>> Okay. And you're having
conversations, I believe, with
property owners, the Massey
family is the only property
that they own or correct. Okay.
>> They have they have a home
site across the street closer
to Alder Brook Park, but this
is a piece that they acquired.
This used to be an old, long
Longview fiber property at one
point.
>> Okay, not now, but in the
when the county acquires it.
Are these properties accessible
to the public or they're just
completely out of bounds?
>> I think I think the question
or the answer for that is we
don't really have parking. So I
think that that's kind of a
tricky situation that would
have to go through a master
plan process and an overarching
view of the environmental
constraints. With the creek
right through there, there is
an old logging road on the
property itself that is very
overgrown, on one section. So
we would have to be
systematically thoughtful on
what we do for that. But yeah,
right now it's more
conservation focused.
>> But if somebody finds itself
wandering into this property in
the future, it's not considered
trespassing.
>> Correct? Correct. That's
what I. Yes. Thank you. Yes.
>> Okay.
>> We'll look out for you. Okay.
Yes. Go ahead.
>> A couple little things here.
First, I was curious about the
budget. So in November 25th, we
approved the, the, capital
facilities plan or improvement
plan. What was it? Capital
facility plan.
>> Capital improvement plan.
>> Yeah. Capital improvement
plan. And so this is an
addition to I mean, is the, the
entire purchase addition or is
it only the difference between
the 750,000 and the million
35,000.
>> So we revised the capital
improvement plan that you will
see in November. This property
actually is already in the
draft plan that you'll be
reviewing. Ready to go. We have
the full total of a million
plus the due diligence in there.
If it hits within the seven,
six, 50 and the million, that's
where we would close at. But it
is drafted for that top end
just, just to be careful.
>> Okay. And then just as far
as the budget, though, we're,
we're changing the operating.
Oh, no, no, no operating budget
impacts. Okay, nevermind.
>> We're creating a, an
amendment to repurpose funds.
>> Okay, great. Be sure and
tell our folks and the parks
advisory that we appreciate the
work that they do day in and
day out for us. And then the
last thing is, perhaps I'll be
there. Perhaps I won't, but and
you know, the, the, the coming
year, I think it would be
excellent to have kind of a
deeper dive work session on,
you know, this plan because,
you know, it's we've had a lot
come forward to us and it's all
kind of piecemeal. And so I
would love to have a
fundamental understanding of
where we have property, you
know, where our our efforts are
focused and how that property
is currently functioning,
whether it's available to the
public in any way or not,
something like that. But not
this year.
>> Chair.
>> Yes.
>> Go ahead. Just in line with
the interest of the councilors
who, would like to be part of
this, it would be good to have
that work session, at least for
the long term management of
these lands before the end of
the calendar year, if if that's
possible.
>> We will connect with Ross
Hoover Parks and Nature, as
well as Kevin Tyler when he
gets back. And we'll respond to
you about whether, what that
looks like with the current
system plan that's launching.
>> I think, I think that sounds
like a reasonable request to me.
Okay. Any other comments or
questions? Hearing none, I'll
entertain a motion. And this is
resolution 2026 0806.
>> So moved.
>> It's been moved.
>> Second.
>> Moved and seconded. All
those in favor say aye.
>> Aye.
>> Motion carries. And Danielle,
I would just say very good work
on that agricultural
conservation easement, the very
first one for Clark County. So
good work.
>> Thank you so much.
>> Thank you Council.
>> Okay. That brings us we
removed five. We're going down
to item six and that's, Brett
Gallop. Welcome.
>> Good morning, Chair Marshall
and Council, for the record, my
name is Brett Gallop and I am a
public works real property
agent. The matter before you
today is to finalize the road
vacation request for a portion
of northeast 139th Street Road.
Vacation approvals are a three
step process that starts by
receiving a petition to vacate
the road. Can you. Next slide.
Oh. Never mind. The road in
question was conveyed to Clark
County on April 6th, 1942. By
order file E 68173 and used
until the 60s when I-5 was
established, Thomas F Meyer
petitioned the county to vacate
the portion of northeast 139th
Street on September 28th, 2025.
This portion is 0.28 acres and
is zoned General commercial.
Next slide. Step one of the
council process is approving a
resolution directing the county
engineer to create an
engineer's report to review if
they believe vacating the road
will be of benefit to the
county Council passed
resolution number 2026 0302
with a directive on March 3rd,
2026. Step two of the council
process is to hold a public
hearing, which allows any
neighboring owner or citizens
to voice their concerns or
approval of the road vacation
and for the county engineer to
present their findings. On June
2nd, 2026, the county engineer
submitted his report in favor
of the road vacation, and the
public hearing was held. With
no contentious parties coming
forward, Council signed the
preliminary order vacating the
county road, directing that
Thomas Meyer pay make payment
for all administrative costs
and expenses incurred during
the proceedings. On June 29th,
2026, Thomas Meyer paid all
administrative costs and
expenses that totaled $5,341.45.
Having received payment, all
conditions of the preliminary
order have now been met. Next
slide. This is an overview of
where the road is located
within the county. Next slide.
This is an overview of the
portion of road that is being
vacated. And this is a recent
photo of the road as it sits
today. The portion of road
being requested for vacation is
between the gravel road and the
orange orange post that you see.
And this is the proposed Salmon
Creek RV Park that will be
installed by Thomas Meyer if
the road vacation is approved.
The section in red indicates
the road vacation portion that
we are requesting. And that
concludes the staff's
presentation. And at this time,
we recommend council approve
and sign the final order
vacation, that will transfer
this portion of northeast 139th
Street to Thomas Meyer and
conclude the road vacation
process.
>> Great. Thank you very much.
It's a multi-stage process. And
this is here we are at the
final stage. Are there any
comments or questions from
council?
>> Yeah.
>> You have one question. You
may have answered this. One of
the previous touches that we
had, but I don't recall did how
how did we originally acquire
it? Was it just how did we did
we purchase it?
>> Thank you. This was actually
donated to the county in 1942
specifically for us to build.
>> Okay. So it was donated.
Okay. Yes. So it makes sense.
>> And part of the donation
request was that should it ever
be vacated, that it would be
vacated back to the the
property owner that donated it
to us. Okay. Because of that,
during the petition request,
our our attorneys reviewed and
decided that we weren't allowed
to sell this back to them. We
had.
>> To relocate it. Yeah, it was
just that's what I was curious
about, how they were getting it
just for the cost of the
administrative part of it.
>> That is a great question.
>> Yeah. Thank you.
>> Okay. Anything else? I'll
entertain a motion to approve,
separate business item six.
>> So moved.
>> Been moved. Second moved and
seconded. Thank you. All those
in favor, say aye.
>> Aye.
>> Motion carries. Thank you
very much. Okay. And our final
item under separate business is
public defense. And I'm not
sure am April. Oh. Good morning,
Madam Chair and Council.
>> Can you hear me?
>> Yes we can.
>> All right. For the record,
April 1st. Deputy County
manager, as you may know, from
March through June of this year,
we have accumulated a backlog
of 204 felony cases and 107,
197 misdemeanor cases. To help
address this backlog, we've
reached out to local defense
attorneys and identified
Columbia legal advocates as a
firm prepared to assist with
both the felony and misdemeanor
backlog cases. We are still
finalizing the number of case
points they can take, but we
anticipate that this contract
will exceed the county
manager's signing authority. We
also have several contracted
attorneys approaching their
contract limits, even though
they may have capacity under
the 2026 caseload standards to
take on additional work for
those willing to accept more
cases, we would execute
contract amendments to expand
their allowable caseloads. So
this request request includes
council's pre-approval to
allocate $550,000 in one time
general fund resources.
Authorize the county manager to
execute felony and district
court contracts with Columbia
legal advocates to address
backlog cases. This will allow
us to execute new contracts
with Columbia legal advocates,
and then authorizing the county
manager to execute amendments.
With the current felony and
district court contracted
attorneys to address backlog
cases if they have capacity
above their contracted amount,
and then if approved, a full
budget package will be
submitted as part of the 2026
fall supplemental process.
Thank you for your
consideration.
>> Thank you very much. Are
there any questions from
council? And what will this,
resolve the backlog or is this
part of resolving the backlog?
>> This amount is calculated to
to be able to contract out and
take care of the backlog.
>> Okay. For, for this year, is
that correct? 26 right. Okay.
And so this will be something
we'll need to look, take a
close look at going forward
into next year's budget.
>> Correct.
>> Okay. Comments. Questions.
Very important. Thank you very
much for putting this together.
I appreciate that, I'll
entertain a motion to approve,
separate business item seven.
>> So moved.
>> It's been moved.
>> Second.
>> Moved and seconded. All
those in favor say I.
>> I.
>> I motion carries. Okay.
Thank you.
>> If I could interrupt real
quick. Ken later. Public works
director. I just wanted to
confirm that council took a
vote on separate business item
number four. We were discussing
coming up after, but I didn't
hear the vote so well.
>> Yeah, we can buy. We rolled
them all into one vote. So yes,
it was approved. Yeah. So good
to double check.
>> For the separate business
item.
>> Oh separate business.
>> For, for the.
>> Yes.
>> Okay.
>> Did we not vote?
>> Just double checking. We
didn't. We did vote. So okay,
okay. Just making sure. All
right. Sorry to bug.
>> Okay. We're looking around
at each other.
>> So we did vote. We voted.
>> Michelle confirms that we
voted.
>> I wrote down the motion and
the second and 4 to 0. So I'm
assuming you voted.
>> You were so fast. We just
didn't hear it and I couldn't.
>> That's how.
>> We roll.
>> We loved it so much.
>> Good job. Sorry to bug you.
Thank you.
>> All right. Good. Good to
keep us on our toes. Okay, then.
Moving on to, County manager's
report.
>> Just want to remind folks
that the fair starts on Friday.
That's all.
>> That's great. Thank you for
that reminder. I'll put it on
my calendar. And with that,
we've completed our agenda. And
without objection, this meeting
is adjourned