The Clark County Council approved a fiber-optic franchise agreement for Fat Beam LLC, despite public comments expressing concern over potential damage to local wetlands and wildlife. During the open comment period, residents also opposed a proposed Battle Ground Urban Growth Area expansion that would rezone 450 acres of wetlands and agricultural land for light industrial use. In parks and recreation matters, the council approved the purchase of a 0.7-acre parcel to expand the Anderson community park and establish a safer visitor entrance away from a busy intersection. Additionally, officials authorized the initial steps to acquire a right-of-way connecting the Discovery Trail to the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail, scheduling a June 2 public hearing to consider condemning private land after reaching a negotiation impasse with a property owner. Finally, the council approved several individual consent agenda items, including the continuation of ARPA capital projects, fee waivers for community events, and the reallocation of Camp Bonneville cleanup funds.
Clark County Council
April 21, 2026 · 02:03:00 matched · Watch on CVTV ↗
Discussions
During public comment, a resident expressed concern that a proposed fiber optic franchise agreement could damage local wetlands, urging the county to protect and enhance these habitats for wildlife like frogs and bees. Additionally, another caller questioned a proposal related to Battle Ground's comprehensive plan that would rezone 450 acres of wetlands and agricultural land for light industrial use.
During a public hearing, the council approved a franchise agreement for Fat Beam LLC to install fiber optic infrastructure following resident feedback on potential environmental and health impacts. Open public comment covered a variety of community issues, including concerns over library board appointments, funding for the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands, religious issues, and the county manager's proposed employment contract. Finally, the council reviewed the consent agenda, pulling specific items for further discussion—such as a canceled Medicaid jail pilot program, fee waivers for community events, and Camp Bonneville cleanup agreements—before approving the docket.
The council approved a franchise agreement for Fat Beam LLC to install fiber-optic infrastructure and designated remaining fund balances to continue previously approved ARPA capital projects. Additionally, the parks division requested the purchase of a 0.7-acre parcel to improve community park access and address level-of-service concurrency issues. During public comment, a resident also raised concerns about a proposed Urban Growth Area (UGA) expansion in Battle Ground, questioning the city's management of industrial-zoned land.
The council approved the majority of their consent agenda items in a single motion, but pulled items 5, 15, 21, and 24 for individual consideration. These pulled items—which included a fund balance assignment, the cancellation of a jail Medicaid pilot program, fee waivers for community events, and the reallocation of Camp Bonneville cleanup funds—were each discussed and subsequently approved by the council.
The county approved the purchase of a 0.7-acre parcel to expand a future community park on the Anderson property, which will improve the park's usable acreage and provide a safer entrance away from a busy intersection. Additionally, officials authorized the initial steps to acquire the right-of-way necessary to connect the Discovery Trail to the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail. This trail extension project, developed in cooperation with the City of Vancouver, will feature a new sidewalk and a rapid flashing beacon to create a safer pedestrian crossing.
The council discussed passing a resolution to provide notification and set a future public hearing for June 2nd regarding the potential condemnation of private land. This hearing is required as part of the statutory process to acquire a right-of-way for the Northeast Hazel Dell Avenue and Burnt Bridge Creek trail connection after staff reached an impasse with a property owner. During the scheduled public hearing, the council will consider declaring the acquisition a public use of necessity to formally initiate condemnation proceedings.
The county council approved negotiating the purchase of a 0.7-acre parcel to expand the future Anderson community park and provide a safer visitor entrance away from a busy intersection. Additionally, the council authorized the initial steps to acquire private right-of-way for an 800-foot pedestrian pathway along Hazeldale Avenue. This project aims to build a safer sidewalk connection between the city-owned Discovery Trail and the county's Burnt Bridge Creek Trail.
Topic Matches (13)
| Topic | Confidence | Timestamp | Keywords | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| building_development | direct | 52:26 | infrastructure, UGA, concurrency | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 40:37 | consent agenda | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 51:25 | consent agenda | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 53:44 | consent agenda | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 57:29 | consent agenda | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 1:21:27 | consent agenda | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 35:51 | public comment, public hearing | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 43:19 | public comment, public hearing | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 1:49:19 | public comment, public hearing | View |
| cross_cutting | cross_cutting | 59:26 | ARPA | View |
| forests_green_space | direct | 1:38:08 | parks, Parks, trails | View |
| forests_green_space | direct | 1:53:07 | parks, Parks, trails | View |
| wildlife_habitat | direct | 31:58 | wetlands | View |
Full Transcript (16676 words)
0:00 [MUSIC] >> April 21st, 2026, and we will start with several proclamations. The first one, the National Poetry Month. And Councilor Fuentes will read that with the Arts Commission members, Michelle Hanlon and Susan Dingo.
0:57 >> Good evening everyone. I'm excited to be reading this proclamation on National Poetry Month. Thank you for being here. All right. So, whereas National Poetry Month was created in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, and whereas poetry is the artful expression of human thought and feeling, and whereas the appreciation of poetry nourishes the human spirit. And whereas the purpose of National Poetry Month is to appreciate the legacy of poets to encourage poetry reading, to help teachers introduce poetry into the classroom, and to increase support of the publication of poetry books. And whereas the Clark County Poet Laureate serves the county by cultivating the practice of writing, reading, and appreciation of poetry. And Susan Dingle is a Clark County Poet Laureate for the 2024-2027 term. And whereas Clark County Poets Laureate Armin Tolentino 2021-2024,
1:53 Jean Gwendolyn Morgan 2018-2020, and Christopher Luna 2013-2017, continue to serve the community as ambassadors of literary culture through poetry. Now therefore we, the Clark County Council, hereby proclaim April 1st through April 30th, 2026 as National Poetry Month, signed this 21st day of April 2026 by every one of our counselors.
2:23 >> If you'd like to say something, please set the record here, and close that. >> All right, thank you. Thank you, Councilor Fuentes and all of the council members. We are so lucky in this county to have such an active and vibrant poetry community. We have several open mics that happen on a weekly basis, and our former and current poet laureates are out there really stirring things up and bringing the word to people regarding poetry. I wanted to also say, my name, by the way, is Michelle Hanlon. I am the Vice Chair of the Clark County Arts Commission. I wanted to say that we are about to open the search for next year's Poet Laureate.
3:16 That person will be Poet Laureate, I believe, from 2027 through 30. And the community should be ready to look for those applications or recommendations. You can apply if you're a poet, you can recommend another person if you know a published poet, and those will open sometime this summer. So keep your eye on our webpage on the county website and our social media. Right now I'd like to turn over the mic to Susan Dingell, our current Poet Laureate. She's doing great work out on the community, and I believe she'd like to share a poem with you. >> Hi everybody, I'm Susan Dingell, and it's really hard to see everybody. So with your permission, I will address myself.
4:15 They're the council after all. Thank you so much for your acknowledgement of the importance of poetry in our community. And in these days, it seems more important than ever before that we honor the diverse voices of people in our community. And I've had the opportunity to support and encourage so many people as they have been finding their voices. And I wrote down some things that I was going to say, but of course I have forgotten to pick up those pieces of paper. I am the latest Poet Laureate following Armin Tolentino, Gwendolyn Morgan, and Christopher Luna. And we have all seen and encouraged the development of so many things within our community. And this year somehow, it seems more than ever, there are so many new poetry readings and workshops and opportunities for people throughout the county. It's really quite amazing.
5:15 And so you could say that we are celebrating Poetry Month in Clark County every month. One of the latest projects has been something called zines. I don't know if you folks have, have you heard of zines at all? So we have some zinesters in the crowd. So there has been a wonderful new development called the Coove Zine Swap. And one of its many headquarters is down the street on Main Street at Birdhouse Books. And I just happened to swing by and I picked up a whole bunch of zines as a gift for you all. These are one poem and one piece of paper made into a booklet by people who, of all ages and all walks of life, and they're really just marvelous. So I'm gonna leave these for all of you to have. And it wouldn't really be proper, thank you,
6:13 to accept this proclamation without some form of a poem. But we do have a lot of business to get to, so I'm not gonna read an epic. What I will read is, I've been doing this thing for Poetry Month, which I recommend to all of you, which is writing a poem a day. And I've been writing haiku, and I've just been doing it. And so today's haiku, this is haiku number 74. The wind scatters all blossoms, petals swirl and spin, drift toward the curb. I know, it's epic, right? >> [LAUGH] >> And now one more, just cuz. This is called Haiku 73. A hydrangea bud between the opening leaves shows in a tight knot.
7:09 So I recommend that all of you write some poetry. We've all got poetry in our souls, in our spirits, as your proclamation mentioned. So get in touch with it and let it come out. And thank you again. >> [APPLAUSE] >> Thank you, Susan, and I really appreciate the Arts Commission. Our paths have crossed a few times over your term, and it's always been delightful. So thank you very much. Okay, then moving on to our next proclamation, National Volunteer Week, which will be read by Councillor Little and Sherry Braga, of the volunteer coordinator of Fort Vancouver Regional Library's Operations Center, will be accepting. Welcome. >> Thanks. I'm honored to do this.
8:08 I'm a little tall for this one, so I'll try to steal this one.
8:17 Okay, whereas Clark County joins other counties across our great state and nation in honoring community volunteers during National Volunteer Week, we celebrate the amazing efforts that volunteers put forth to support our libraries, neighborhoods, schools, faith-based organizations, civic groups, government agencies, and more. Volunteers are an invaluable resource and are at the heart and soul of our cities, counties, and nation. And whereas volunteers create positive change in our communities by bringing their compassion, their time, their ideas, talents, technical skills, and professional expertise to strengthen and help our county flourish and create a better quality of life for our residents. They provide support to recreation activities, public education, health and social services, housing and food service organizations,
9:15 public safety and emergency preparedness agencies, literacy learning, and to environmental and economic initiatives. That's a lot. Volunteers help communities provide basic human services, spiritual support, neighbor-to-neighbor assistance, and assist and empower those who have been marginalized. And whereas volunteers' contributions improve the lives of all residents and help maintain our local economy. Volunteers collectively demonstrate their power to make a difference and are inspiration for all of us to follow. And whereas Clark County recognizes that city volunteers are key to assisting the county to meet the needs of citizens and accomplishing our community goals, we acknowledge that volunteers help unite our great county through their selfless service. And whereas during the week of April, we call on all community members and
10:13 organizations to help us thank, celebrate, and recognize the contributions of our volunteers, of all volunteers. Now, therefore, the Clark County Council does hereby proclaim April 19th through April 25th, 2026 to be National Volunteer Week, signed by all the counselors. Thank you so much for what you do. >> [APPLAUSE] >> Thank you so much. We want to thank all of the Clark County commissioners for your support of volunteerism. And I know many of you volunteer quite a lot yourselves, so we appreciate that in addition. I am Sherry Braga, the volunteer coordinator from FERL libraries. And in 2025, we had 862 volunteers that gave nearly 38,000 hours. >> [APPLAUSE] >> We honored these generous donors of their time over the last two Saturdays at FERL libraries.
11:13 These volunteers help with our Read to the Dog programs, which promotes reading amongst our youngest citizens. Other great volunteers lead our language and art programs, from practicing ASL, Spanish, Japanese, French, and English, to line dancing, to art shows, and on the list goes. A lot of our youthful volunteers lead our gaming groups, which develops creative skills and wonderful social skills, and just an opportunity as a community to gather together. Volunteers also manage our used bookstores, keeping all those books recycling into good homes all across our service area. They are dedicated and they have hearts of gold. Washington State is a top performer in volunteering, frequently ranking among the top ten nationwide, according to 2025 data. Approximately 32.8% of Washingtonians engage in formal volunteering, which is higher than the national average.
12:12 Our state ranks eighth for both total volunteers and per capita volunteer rates. These statistics are collected by Peace Corps. We are also ranked 14th among the most charitable state in the 2025 Wallet Hub Analysis. So I know this room is filled with people who volunteer, people watching online, and we just want to do a big shout out and thank you to all those that give their time, that just make our community a better place to live, and helping one another to be neighborly and thoughtful, and I'm a little biased, but I'm especially thankful for all those that help at the library. So thank you for taking the time to honor all those that generously give their time every single day. [ Applause ] >> Thank you, Sherry. We love our libraries and the volunteers are a huge part of making that successful. So thanks a lot.
13:12 Okay. Our final proclamation is Education and Sharing Day. I will read this one, and Rabbi Greenberg from the Chabad Jewish Center of Clark County will be receiving it. >> Thank you. [ Inaudible ] >> Okay, here we go. Okay, here we go. Whereas education, the cornerstone of a strong and free society determines what we know and shapes who we are.
14:10 In that light, education is important more than the mere transmission of facts and figures. Rather, it must prepare children for a life of responsibility and purpose, forming and strengthening their moral character, and whereas a global spiritual leader and leading advocate for the advancement of education, Rebbe Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of Righteous Memory stressed that the moral and ethical education empowers every individual to realize their full potential and make the world a better place. Such an education can nurture the unity of diverse peoples through encouraging increased acts of goodness and kindness imbued with the awareness
15:06 that even a single positive act of an individual can change the world and usher in an era of global peace. And whereas March 29, 2026 marked the 124th year since the Rebbe's birth from childhood, he envisioned a world of peace and tranquility for all and advanced the sacred responsibilities and ethical values that have formed the bedrock of society since the dawn of civilization. To honor the creator, respect life, reject violence, act honestly, value family, promote generosity, and build a just and moral society.
15:58 And whereas Education and Sharing Day is observed in each year on the Rebbe's birthday in recognition of his outstanding and lasting contributions toward the improvement of education, morality, and acts of charity around the world, a day to pause and reflect on our responsibility to ensure our youth have the foundation necessary to lead lives rich in purpose and fulfillment through service and good works. Now, therefore, we, the Clark County Council, do hereby proclaim March 29, 2026 as Education and Sharing Day in Clark County, Washington, and call upon government officials, educators, volunteers, and citizens to reach out to those
16:56 within your communities to work to create a better, brighter, and more hopeful future for all, signed this 21st day of April 2026 by the entire council. So thank you for bringing this forward. >> Thank you. [ Applause ] Thank you, Councilor Marshall. Thank you, all the members of the council. I'm Rabbi Greenberg from the Chabad Jewish Center of Clark County. As the councilman mentioned, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the leader of our generation
17:51 of the Jewish community of righteous memory, in 1974, the Rebbe introduced a powerful idea, not just to give charity, but to become people who gives. He encouraged every home, every classroom, every office, and every factory to have a charity box. He's going to -- I will share it with all of you here. Charity box, it's basically like a piggy bank, but for charity. That encourage all of us, adult children, to give, but to give constantly.
18:44 Encourage every -- the goal was not just the amount, it was the habit. Because when a child gives regularly, they go into adult who cares. Over time, the hands becoming a giving hand, and a person becomes a giving person. That is why -- so today, I will give these charity boxes the honor and to celebrate that day of his birthday as a day that we are basically start to practicing this good habit of giving. Although one day is set aside as education sharing day, this message belong to every day of the year.
19:44 Each of us has the opportunity and the responsibility to be an example to teach by how we live to bring more kindness and goodness into this world. May God bless you all for all the work, the important work that you do for our county. And may your effort bring blessings, health, success, and happiness for you and your families. Thank you very much. [ Applause ] >> So just basically for everybody here, let me finish the meeting. >> Yep, thank you, thank you. We can set that by the back door and people can pick one up.
20:41 And thank you very much for sharing this with us today and for bringing your children to share them with us as well. Okay, hi. All right. Let's move on then to the Pledge of Allegiance if you'll join me in standing. And then remain standing for the invocation. Ken Turney from Kasid Church will be providing that.
21:16 [ Silence ] Okay, try again here. I appreciate this opportunity to be afforded this. And I really appreciate Clark County's recognition of the wide variety of faiths that make up this great county. It's not always a given from government agencies and I think it's commendable of you to do this. I always feel it's incumbent on me before I deliver an invocation that this is not something I just do to be part of a ceremony or the tradition and obviously not eye candy. I'm just here to speak to you directly from my heart. And that I sincerely mean the words I'm about to share with you.
22:16 And in doing so, I stay true to my faith and my conscience without apologies. And I sincerely invite everyone in this room to participate or not as your faith and your conscience might dictate to you. But if you would, join me in this moment of invocation. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this opportunity to be here tonight. I pray that you'll watch over the various dealings that the Clark County Commissioners will be dealing with. Give them insight, give them wisdom, give them understanding. Give them the courage of their convictions and give them grace as they deal with some issues both mundane and significant that may be divisive. Thank you for their willingness to serve. I thank you for every person in this room and the proceedings that will occur tonight. I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
23:12 >> Okay, we'll move on to the Council roll call. >> Councillor Young? >> Here. >> Councillor Belcott? >> Present. >> Councillor Fuentes? >> Here. >> Councillor Little? >> Here. >> Chair Marshall? >> Here. >> Okay, thank you for that. Are there any amendments to the agenda? >> Done tonight. >> Okay, then moving on, we have a public hearing on the franchise agreement for Fat Beam LLC to operate and maintain fiber optic infrastructure in certain rights of way in unincorporated Clark County. And I can see the team is coming forward to brief us on this before we start hearing from the public.
24:09 So, welcome. >> Good evening, council, Chair Marshall, Dean Shadix with Public Works. And tonight, we're introducing a request for franchise agreement with Fat Beam, another fiber company entering into our community. The franchise agreement itself assists in protecting the liability of the county. And it is a relationship that we seek with all utilities. And unfortunately, we don't have agreements with all utilities within the community. So as new providers come into the community, we do seek the franchise agreement to ensure that we do have that relationship with them. So if there's any questions, we'd be happy to expand on that a little bit. >> Are there any questions from council? Don't see any.
25:08 Is that it for presentation? >> Yes, ma'am, there is a representative here from Fat Beam. If there are any direct questions associated with their infrastructure and their plans to move forward. >> Would you like to come forward and say anything at this time? >> Sure, I'm happy to answer any questions, [INAUDIBLE] >> I don't know that we have any questions at this time, but- >> I'm Paul Merritt, the CEO for Fat Beam Fiber. >> Paul Merritt, the CEO for Fat Beam Fiber. We've been in business for over 15 years and our internet service provider only using the best technologies, that's all fiber connectivity. And we won the, we were awarded the school district, Evergreen School District, RFP to provide new fiber connections to all 41 schools. And that's kind of what brought us here today together. But we also look forward to using that for benefit of the community. We'll be offering fiber services to commercial service as well,
26:04 businesses that are around the new fiber path, as well as apartments and condos and senior living as well. So yeah, any questions for me, happy to answer any. >> Good, thank you very much. No questions at this time, so I think we'll hear from the community. Has anyone signed up? >> We do have one person that signed up in the room, Chair, and we do have a few that have their hand raised online. >> Okay, and just a reminder, keep your comments to three minutes and keep it to the topic of this franchise agreement. >> Carmen De Leon. >> Hi, my name is Carmen De Leon, and I go by Mello. So I read what the thing said, and I'm trying to understand. But what I'm still understanding is that they're based out of another state, so that means that the money is gonna be leaving the state. And he just said that this is for the schools, well, just so you know,
27:02 I think it was Sweden that determined over the last generation that the children's IQs had dropped. So they took away all of the Internet services and decided to go back to good old books and paper and pencil and writing. And forget trying to learn online because it's a joke and it has made our kids stupid. So even though he says this is for schools, I don't know if schools really need it because it's been proving to make kids dumb. Anyways, and another thing it says is that it says 1.10 says hazardous. Hazardous substances means any substance that has been determined by state law to present a threat to human health or the environment. Well, I'm pretty sure that has proven that pornography is damaging to the brain. And that early access to Internet and
27:58 what the brain isn't ready developed for kids. So is there anything on here that's gonna protect the children from getting their hands on this because we need the kids to not have access to Internet. We need kids playing in the dirt, climbing trees, and getting on with real life and not thinking that these things that they really do reprogram the brain. These fiber optics, the faster they are, they're rearranging the way people think. It's affecting people's cognitive upbringing, and this is dangerous to rely on the Internet. It won't bring back your hair or anything, but it will sure confuse a lot of people because it's gonna make more people brain damaged in case you didn't know that you get used to getting things on the Internet, then you're not used to reality anymore. And that's a damn shame. Another one says, liability to bodily injury. Okay, well, it's gonna cause brain damage and we know it.
28:57 And another one says a failure to restore. So after ten years, are we gonna look this back up? Because from what I see, every time they do something, it stays that way forever. And I don't see these people putting back all the trees and all the plants and all the grass after they come and mow it all down and build their structure. So if you really wanna help the environment and stuff, we could do it without driver this optic stuff cuz we know it is for control of the population. They say it's convenience, but it's actually control. They put up these little fiber optic things with the radars, and they said they accidentally double charged everybody, oops. And what if people didn't notice, oops, they just made a double payment. So go ahead, screw people over, we know you're gonna do it anyways. >> Okay, thank you for your comments. Is there anyone else in the room? >> Nobody else signed up in the room. We do have, it looks like one caller online. >> Okay. >> Caller,
29:57 you've been sent a request to unmute. Please go ahead and do so. Go ahead with your public comment related to the franchise agreement only, the Fat Beam LLC, and state your name for the record. Thank you. >> God evening, and Jesus is my savior, amen. Kimberly Goheen Elvin, live citizen of Clark County, Washington. My concern is that not only has Fat Beam had no prior discussion with the Clark County Council. That's probably why you don't have any questions for them. But is now a public hearing. We're having a public hearing when they haven't presented anything, any discussion before this council. And it's the very day it's submitted to the people. My concern is not Fat Beam itself, but with this council having no prior discussion with this business and then asking for a public hearing. I question this form of government in its process to be transparent and
30:56 timely to the public. Also, we the people also do not want any communications in Clark County that comply to a big government during the next pandemic, as Mr. Medvedji mentioned years ago, and or during a lockdown attempt. You must at that time serve the people and our will if government tries to rule over the people. And so I do have some concerns about the wetlands. I saw the map, it's quite a large area that they're going to be taking over. And it says it leads it to where it looks like it might. They're gonna try to avoid or minimize in some wetlands located within and near the right away of this property. So I have great concerns for that. We can't touch any wetlands anymore.
31:54 And you take a little here, you take a little there before you know it. We don't have any more wetlands. And that's how it goes. And we all know that that's what the government does. So we want to make sure that we do not touch those wetlands, which brings me to the 5.1 hazardous substances. I mean, I'm not sure about what's gonna be a hazardous substance there. But as it reads here, but since you didn't have any discussion with this council, they might not have read this, that there is a possible waste or pollutants or contamination into this right of way, or the county property that's there, which is a public hazard to the people that will be around there. Again, if memory serves me right, I don't have the map. I'm thinking it's somewhere there in the Forest Plain Commons area,
32:50 if I'm not mistaken, but it's a big area where there's a lot of people. So we wanna make sure there's no hazardous substances at all. And we wanna not touch those wetlands. In fact, build some better wetland there if there's wetlands there. And make it more presentable for the frogs and the bees and the bugs. And grow chat tails for that. >> Okay, thank you, your time's up. >> Chair, that concludes public comment. >> Okay, thank you. Are there any concluding comments from you folks?
33:27 >> None from the PA's office, Chair, happy to answer any questions, so thank you. >> Okay, are there any questions at this time? I think it's pretty straightforward. If not, I'll entertain a motion. >> Chair, I move to approve resolution number 2026-04-01. >> I second. >> Thank you, it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Motion carries, thank you very much. Okay, moving on now to open public comment, and comment on the consent and separate business items. So again, three minute limit and it's open now, so is anyone signed up? >> Yes, Chair. Jamie Bear.
34:25 >> Good evening, Clark County Council, my name is Jamie Bear. I am a Vancouver resident, I'm a registered voter in district three. And I am here because I'm a public librarian. And thank you, Chair Marshall, for saying that you love the library because I love the library as well. I have 16 years experience working in the public library. A decade of my career has been spent here serving Southwest Washington at Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries. So don't take it lightly when I say I love the communities here in Southwest Washington. I'm also a union member, I represent AFSCME Local 307L, the librarian serving everyone across Southwest Washington. And I'm also a concerned citizen who is concerned about the conduct of the FRL Libraries Board. So you're probably aware of the library board setting aside the strategic plan,
35:21 which cost our library district $400,000 because there's a disagreement of language. Because they voted their concerns, public came out in force to talk about why they supported the strategic plan as written. Our trustees sat there for two months, listened to hours of overwhelmingly supportive public comment. And then voted on their own third option that did not have review by the public, that did not allow public comment. And you maybe weren't in that library board meeting, but I was there. And you cannot imagine my heartbreaking as a librarian watching our public leave a library board meeting disheartened, betrayed. The trust in our library board has been broken. Do you know how many libraries there are in Clark County? There are nine. And of those nine, seven of them have really active friends groups.
36:19 And if you don't know who the friends groups are, they are our most engaged, our volunteer run. They raise funds for the library just because they love the library. Of those friends groups, six of them voted no confidence in our library board. These are our people who do nothing but things for the library. And they do not speak up about things because they trust the library to do its work. This is a canary in the coal mine to demonstrate the broken trust in the library board. Now I'm bringing this to all of you because you have two candidates coming up, a Skamania County candidate and a City of Vancouver candidate. And I know that in the past it's just been a yep, we trust in these people. But we need you to build a better board to serve Southwest Washington, where everyone can see themselves in the library, where people know they are heard. Where I can do my work as a librarian.
37:16 I'm very excited to start your Clark County bookmobile this year. But I need to know that this county is actually going to pay attention to what our library board is doing and take accountability for the board members they appoint. Thank you. >> Great, thank you very much. Maria Koch. >> Hello, my name is Marla Koch. I'm a resident and enthusiastic library user. I am also here to speak on behalf of the libraries. I heard about some rumblings in the library board meetings, so I started attending in December. And I listened for three board meetings in a row as the community came out strongly in favor of adopting the five year plan as written. At the end of all that comment, the board voted against it. I was disappointed because I was for it.
38:11 But I was outraged because they voted against what the community was saying they wanted. Now maybe the whole community isn't represented there, but it was hundreds of people. So I think that's fairly representative. I know you had a special hearing about this, a workshop on April 11th. And at the end of it you concluded that nothing was done that would justify removal of your library board members. I would just like to throw this out there. The word ethics was in dispute. They wanted the word ethics removed from the five year plan. And they wanted to redefine intellectual freedom to open the door for censorship. The library board's rules of ethics say that they will maintain independent judgment without regard to personal benefits, special interests, or influence of partisan political groups. I feel like the word ethics is charged because of partisan politics.
39:10 So perhaps taking issue with a word that in and of itself has a definition, has no charge to it, might be related to partisan politics. They are to avoid situations in which personal interests might be served. I don't want to guess at their personal agenda, but to vote against the community might be serving some personal interests. And they should be prepared to support the efforts of library staff in resisting censorship. They were working actively to allow censorship. Another thing I'm concerned about is you have two people coming before. They were introduced last night at the library board meeting. I did a public records request on the Skamania County candidate they're gonna put before you. His name is Richard Mahar. I'm looking at the letter that he sent to promote himself. And he said, I am committed to representing the taxpayers in the district, including the nearly 50% of Skamania voters who did not support the most
40:10 recent library levy. He is planning to be a champion for people who aren't in support of libraries. He said there are many ways people seek out literacy, education, and freedom. Libraries are one way, but not the only way. I know there are opposing views, but I would hope our library board are champions for libraries. The community needs them to be champions for libraries. So this will probably come up as a consent agenda item soon. I hope you'll take a serious look at that candidate. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Please forgive me if I say this last name incorrectly. Brad Laspy. >> That's really good, thank you. >> Thank you. >> We'll get this up here. I'll bend over. Good evening, council, I appreciate your time tonight. My name's Brad Laspy.
41:09 I'm the co-chair of the Haysville Parade of Bands. And the resolution concerning non-county sponsored community events happened because of us, so I thought I'd give you a little bit of background. I've been doing it since '87. Costs go up every year just like it does for everything in the world, and we struggle to raise enough money to do the parade every year. We'd got an email from Public Works that stated they wouldn't be able to support the parade this year, and it was considered a private event. Our big issue, I think, is that we think it's a community event. This year we have 27 bands, we have 3,500 people in the parade. We have 15 to 20,000 people that watch the parade if the weather's decent, as we know. Kids get candy, they do chalk in the middle of the streets. It's free to families. All of our volunteers are not compensated.
42:05 I appreciate county staffs working on this. We got to the point, quite honestly, where we looked up what it would cost us if we could find anybody to do it, to provide the services that Public Works provide. And it was not feasible financially or logistically. There was no way we were gonna be able to do it. So we were thinking about canceling the parade for the first time in 60 years. We decided to throw a Hail Mary. We contacted Counselor Belcott, who represents most of our district, as our District 2 rep. She was able to meet with county staff, the county manager, and give us a reprieve for this year. And now the resolution is in front of you that would take care of it for five years. It puts a limit on it. If it's a little bit over the limit, we can probably raise the funds for that. But it does put a limit on it. We do consider it a community event, and we would appreciate you if you would approve this resolution. Thank you.
43:05 >> Thank you. Carmen De Leon. >> Yeah, I'm Carmen De Leon, I go by Mellow. So it's my understanding it's open public comment. I don't have to stay on agenda items. Okay, because to me, it may not seem like a big deal to some people until it is. And to me, it is a big deal. And it is when I look at New York that I used to love to go to, I wouldn't step foot there anymore. They're having Sharia law, prayer three times a day at Madison Square Garden, and it sickens me. Cuz if I was to do that, people would come up to me, oh, you're pushing your agenda on me. Well, you know what? We need to look at behind that, it says in God we trust. In the White House, they're reading the Bible from start to finish right now. There's a reason. Now I know it's not perfect.
44:03 I know you lose half in the translation. But how many lives have been saved because it says do not kill? Because it has given people some guidance. I know it's not perfect because it came from humans. I don't think it's perfect. But I know that Sharia law sure the hell ain't perfect. Because if you're worshiping somebody who likes some less children, we gotta have something in our, what's it called? They say it's racist not to let them into the country. I say it's protection. And when our president says not to let certain people into the country because they have sworn to kill Christians, they are beheading us in other countries. I worry because they are outbreeding us. They're making it cool to kill babies. Don't get pregnant, don't worry about it. You have an abortion. They've aborted hundreds of millions of babies that we could have used because these people are having 10 kids. Muslims are having 10 kids, 12 kids. And our people are saying, don't breed. What are you, a breeder?
45:01 They're gonna outbreed us. And they're already taken over one of the cities I used to love to party at. And no, I won't step foot. So if you want the United States to stay the way it is, we need to do something about not letting them. Yeah, go ahead and talk to the legislators about not letting certain people into the country cuz they're not here to join us. They're here to overthrow us. And the devil is happy when we don't believe in God. And I've written that even the demons are smarter than atheists because demons fear the name of the Lord. And the demons want you not to have a God cuz you're easier led. So I'm just saying it's not racist to stand up for being a US God loving person. And I mean Jesus, Christian faith, and to put a ban, yes, on Sharia law. Because they say that certain states are letting people marry 12 year old girls, man, come on.
45:59 So it's not, you think people are hating on you and they were not. We're just saying, you know what? In my religion, my God says, maybe you believe in me, maybe you don't. But theirs is, if you don't believe in me, I'm gonna kill you. And I have a problem with that. I hope you guys find the same problem I do. >> Okay, is there anyone else? >> I don't have anybody else signed up in the room. Does anybody else in the room? Nope, we do have a few online. >> Okay. >> Caller, you've been sent a request to unmute. Please go ahead and unmute, state your name for the record, and go ahead with your comment.
46:40 [BLANK_AUDIO] >> Good job, Mello, Kimberly Goheen Alvin. The Proclamation on Education and Sharing Day reads nicely and has good ideas. But this is about a man, a Rabbi, Menachem Schneerson, and he did not teach children and adults about Jesus, our Savior. In fact, his teachings explicitly rejected the core tenets of Christianity. Under his leadership, published materials clarified that a Jew cannot believe in Jesus and must remain within the bounds of traditional Judaism. They view movements like Jews for Jesus as deceptive and contrary to Jewish faith. Many of his followers believe the Rabbi was the Messiah himself. Read up on this for yourself, but here we have our local Clark County Council proclamating such, and I quote, education and sharing day, I call foul.
47:38 In set number nine, the two watch monitoring includes an alcohol monitor on which is called a scram ankle bracelet. And this funding is greatly needed for those who cannot pay $600 a month as a release out of jail requirement. As my son was required this monitor, but funding had stopped months ago, or he would be a free, presumed innocent man today. Criminal lead prosecutor Dan Gasparino knows my son Cleve Goheen Rengo is innocent of wrongful assault one charge. And his case is my number one duty for law and justice to become truthful and constitutional, which will stop what I consider a broken judicial system here in Clark County. My duty includes consent number 10 and 11 for the district court. As I fell victim there, and I'm actively pursuing accountability for my case.
48:34 In set number 14, my concerns are for Clark County fairgrounds is the LED lighting. And even though it seems like a great light source, I'm concerned about constant flickering that is difficult for the eye to see. But it's definitely there as it can cause eye strain, eye fatigue, headache, dry eye and sleep disorders. LED emits high levels of blue light, which can be harmful for children and the elderly. So please take note and ask questions of health concern before installation of those lights. Under separate business number two, employment agreement for Kathleen Otto, the Clark County manager. First, and I've said this before, I believe this most powerful job must be an elected position. Then we the people can hold that job accountable and have our power back. As a Christian and a caring individual, I respect Kathleen Otto and her knowledge very much.
49:30 Yet it's too much power for an unelected top official. And she'll earn $20,902 a month, which is approximately $690 a day. Plus bonuses and comp. Again, this is a very important position that must be held accountable to the people. >> Thank you, your time is up.
49:53 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. Julie Cap, you've been sent a request to unmute. Please go ahead and do so and go ahead with your comment.
50:23 Wendy Cleveland, we've sent you a request to unmute. Please go ahead and do so and go ahead with your comment. >> Hi, it's Wendy Cleveland. I'm calling in tonight to ask members of the council to pull separate business item two from the agenda for further consideration. It feels like this is a very important decision that has been tucked away into an exceedingly long list of items scheduled for approval in mass. The decision as to whether the current county manager stays in her role for another term seems to be something that should have been discussed even voted on by the council. If that discussion has indeed taken place, I would ask if that violates the Open Public Meetings Act. Shouldn't the public be aware of such decisions and possibly be given the opportunity for input? Was anyone in the room there tonight even aware of this item listed for approval in mass? I for one have questions. What was the process? Were there other applicants? Was the job listed publicly for the general public to be aware of the salary for the county manager is currently $238,880, but
51:22 will be increasing to 250,000 next year. Additionally, I'm asking for members of the council to pull consent agenda item number 24. Why is the council considering allocation of additional funds to the cleanup of Camp Bonneville when we still don't have a progress report from the last two years? The company doing the cleanup consulting work has already been given 100,000 a year ago and approval for an additional year for another one to 200,000 with nothing more to show for it than a feasibility study according to county staff last time I asked the same question. The BRAC agreement clearly states that no recreational use may take place on that property until which time that that cleanup is complete. Both the sheriff department and the FBI weren't using it under that header. The council voted to end the FBI contract, which they should, but left the sheriff department to continue its use while breaking the same part of the BRAC agreement that the FBI was. Now we hear there's even more money being allocated to the same property.
52:19 Finally, we will be talking more about the comp plan in the hearing next Monday at 4 PM, but before then, I just want to remind you that the property that you're considering expanding the UGA for in battleground bears further consideration. BG had around 100 acres left of Light Industrial within their city limits. They sold 60 of these acres to the same company as Maddox Industrial. That company has publicly stated that they plan to use those last precious 60 acres of Light Industrial zone land to build a church, a convention center, and a hotel. That is non-designated use of Light Industrial land that can only be allowed for the GMA in Washington state law if the city can show a surplus of industrial zone land. I don't think the BG has a surplus of industrial land because if they did, then why did they give the argument to the planning commission that they must be allocated 450 acres of what is wetlands and land with ag capability for Light Industrial?
53:13 BG said they needed it to meet the comp plan goal by 2045 of 7,500 new jobs. But I ask you, how many factories employing 500 workers a piece could they have fit on the same 60 acres within their already existing Light Industrial area? Thanks for your consideration. Thank you. And just to clarify, the employee agreement between Clark County and the county manager is on the, what is that called, separate business item number two, not the consent agenda. Is anyone else? Yeah, we have two. Okay. Julie Kep, we've sent you a request to unmute. Please go ahead and do so and go ahead with your comment.
54:08 Julie, if you could unmute yourself. Okay, just mute her. Caller, you've been sent a request to unmute. Please go ahead and do so and state your name for the record.
54:35 Caller. Hi, good evening. Hopefully you can hear me. Yes, thank you. Yeah, it's Rob Anderson here, ringers of my demise. We're greatly exaggerated. And I'm speaking tonight to oppose the proposed employment agreement for county manager Otto that would raise her pay to $250,000 in 2027. Last fall, manager Otto stood before you and the public recommending a 1% property tax increase bank capacity telling us the county faced a structural deficit. And we needed to contribute more of our hard earned money to keep services running. Now, just a few months later, she's back asking you to shift some of that money into her own pocket with double digit raise on top of the 20% she already received a few years back.
55:33 So over $300,000 a year, that's with salary and benefits estimated. This isn't public service as we once understood it. Public servants used to accept lower pay than the private sector because they received outstanding retirement benefits and the rest of us mostly don't get. Now, some public servants want both while the public is stuck paying the bill. In 2022, the county manager made $180,000 and now it'll be 250,000 in 2027, a huge increase while Clark County residents have seen only 3%, 4% wage growth overall. Approve this and you send the message that the rules are different for the people at the top. Some of you say you're for affordability in the working class or underprivileged groups.
56:27 While you vote for this and raising taxes, vote after vote really shows your true values. I urge you to reject this agreement or at least just have an increase of 3% only, similar to most Clark County. Thank you so much. Thank you. Is there anyone else? That concludes public comment. Thank you. Okay, let's move on then to the consent agenda. Are there any items? We have a long consent agenda. Are there any items anyone would like to pull? Councillor Young? Yes, Chair. I'd like to pull items 15, 21 and 24. Okay, 15, 24 and 25? Oh, 21 and 24.
57:20 Okay, anyone else? I would like to pull 5. Okay, any other pulls from the consent agenda? So I would entertain a motion then for consent agenda items 1 through 29 with the exception of 5, 15, 21 and 24. So moved. It's been moved. Is there a second? Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Thank you. Item 5. So this, I let folks know that I had some questions.
58:09 I just wanted to have a little more explanation of this item related to the amount that's to be used for the fund balance, from the fund balance to the 2026 operating budget. Maybe I've got that wrong, but if you could, I don't think the Council has heard about this. So, and the other two items that we have talked about, so if you could just brief us a bit. >> Thank you, Council. Mark Gasway, Clark County Finance Director with me is Mitchell Kelly. He is our reporting and analysis manager. Each year we come to the council to request the amount to assign. It's a designation within our financial statements that indicate that there is a specific amount that we are setting aside of our fund balance for a specific purpose.
59:04 And I'll turn the time over to Mitchell and he's going to explain the components that we are requesting to have assigned this year. >> Yes, Mitchell Kelly, reporting and analysis manager. So as discussed, we have identified budgeted capital projects that will continue on and that's the first item. The second item is for continuation of projects that were already approved by Council for the remaining ARPA funding. The final one is to be used to balance the fund balance for the 2026 budget. So we're designating or assigning that so we don't overspend our available cash or available fund balance and we're assigning it to cover what has been budgeted. >> And that fund comes, those funds come from? >> Our fund balance that's remaining. >> That's remaining, okay. >> That has been remaining over time.
1:00:04 So we have a fund balance that's a certain amount and we're just assigning this to cover what has been approved by council for 26. >> Okay, was this anticipated when we went through our budgeting? >> Yes. >> It was, okay, great, thanks. >> Yes. >> Any other questions from anyone? Okay, well I'll entertain a motion to approve. >> So moved. >> It's been moved, is there a second? >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Thank you very much. Okay, moving on then to 15, jail services. Yep, go ahead. >> Yes, Chair, thank you. And I see Director Shook online there.
1:00:58 What I would like to understand is just a little bit more background behind this. I mean, this is a program that we initiated a couple years ago, I think. And we've been part of the process and now we're canceling that process because there were some obstacles that we couldn't jump through. But I'm hoping that you can explain this a little bit more in detail and help us to understand what the impacts are going to be for the jail. >> Absolutely, Chair and Council, Councillor Young, David Shook, Director of Jail Services, so you're correct about two years ago, May of 2024, we came to Council and we requested permission to participate in this reentry demonstration initiative for Medicaid through the Washington Health Care Authority.
1:01:55 Part of being of the Cohort 1 was our goal was to help to kind of be a part of developing the system. When the Health Care Authority started this project and these different initiatives, they came at it or they approached it from a medical kind of a format. So many of the jails in Washington State, to include our own, while we have a vendor who does health care for us, they are not providing the direct services where we're actually getting fully reimbursed for any sort of Medicaid. And so there's no other departments in our county that does provide direct services where we already have existing Medicaid processes and different things. And so two years ago, we reached out or we got some project positions to help us to build this system. We went through three or four hiring processes and we could not find anybody to help us with that. We reached out throughout the state through different technical advisory groups.
1:02:55 And again, for the size of jail we have, the kinds of medical that we're providing, some of the expectations of this initiative is that once you started, all inmates that qualify would actually have these services because of our 1984 facility, because of the way that we provide medical and not having a facility, the actual how the facility is set up, capable of getting every inmate in to assess, to evaluate, to get signed up, all those kinds of things. The other part is some of the funding that they provide, well, you could actually hire employees to do it or new support staff to accomplish that. Many of the processes, they don't fully pay for. And so the county would have had to provide the other components of that.
1:03:49 And so we approached this with a very conservative look, because when we transition away from the sheriff's office, our support team was minimal. And so we didn't have a lot of extra staff to throw into this project to additionally do that. And again, being careful about the rest of the system, the budget, all those kinds of things. So we took a very conservative approach. Again, we weren't able to get the answers from the state technical advisors that were helping to kind of push different jails. And so the jails that saw or were able to move forward from cohort one and two to three, we did that. We moved along and delayed our implementation of the program, waiting for that additional arrival. The other thing which we don't have is an electronic health record. Our vendor has one, but they don't fully do any sort of billing to Medicaid either.
1:04:45 And so adding in different contracts amounts for that component to be added to the system for us to buy one of those systems is estimated to be about a million dollars. And the state had been working on a statewide EHR, electronic health record, but it's not going to be ready until 2027 July. And as you can see, the dates on this initiative, this initiative goes for three years. And there is no information yet that is going to continue beyond that. And so, again, we didn't spend any of the money just looking at all the hurdles that we were trying to approach. Now there are some things we continue to build. Again, we have some of those project positions that we continue to try to get into place to see if we can build some of those. But at this point, the state approached us in January or February and said, are you all going to be fully implemented by July 1st?
1:05:40 And we, again, we discussed with them the hurdles that we as our size jail was having. And they said, if you can't do it, we need our $150,000 back. And so that's the position that we're in now. I don't know if that's helpful. Yes, that is helpful. What I would like to understand is the -- because we are pretty excited about this when it first -- Sure, absolutely. So what direct impacts does that mean? What does that mean for our ability to provide services in the jail? Nothing changes with the services that we're providing now. Not all the services that we actually provide now would qualify under the Medicaid waiver. So we wouldn't be reimbursed for those basic care procedures that we're providing currently. Only some of the services -- and again, that's part of the coordination and management of that health system through our vendor.
1:06:39 Again, not everything that we have to do or are required to do to take care of our inmates would actually qualify. Understand, in talking to some of the other entities around the state, they were only getting about 30% of the effort that they were putting back reimbursed, 30%. And so the counties or the cities that were actually able to move forward or did move forward -- so example, King County, they have a full health facility that already does billing to Medicaid. So it really just added to what they were already doing in that existing, and we just didn't have that. So we're not lessening the ability to do anything. We're growing our jail transition stuff. We're adding different programs with MOUD through opioid abatement and the mental health sales tax. So we're definitely growing in those areas. We just are not able to fully, 100% all inmates, take care of this requirement that would be put on us as a jail. Director Shook, this was a pilot program, right?
1:07:37 Because I'm remembering this from the legislative conversations with WASIC, right? That's my understanding. It's a three-year pilot project. Yeah, and how many counties -- not all counties participated in it, right? I'm trying to go back a little bit. No, actually many jails actually have pulled out of this initiative. I can get you the exact number if you would like it. Yeah, no, I recall this from my legislative conversations. So, yeah, it was like a let's try and see, not that we have lost anything. Thank you. Any other questions? Thank you for your efforts in this realm because it did seem as though it could be a great resource for us. It's disappointing, and disappointing you had to put all the effort in and it not work out, but I appreciate your work on this. Well, we're definitely going to continue working with the state and other areas to improve what we can do.
1:08:33 And then, again, if they continue it beyond 2028, we'll definitely jump in when we can. Great, thank you. Okay, if there's no other questions, I'll entertain a motion to approve item 15. So moved. It's been moved. Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Okay, moving on then to item 21. Councilor Young. Yes, thank you. I appreciate Councilor Belkop for bringing this forward. Didn't know that history. Looking forward to this, I think that when I first read this, I'm like this is fantastic because I fully agree. I mean, we talk about for the greater good. This is definitely a place where we're looking at that for the greater good. My question, there's actually kind of two questions with this.
1:09:26 One is what process do we look at for people who are organizing events to be able to see if they're able to do so at no charge? I'll just ask that and go ahead and then I'll come up with the second question. Thank you, Councilor. Ken Lader, Public Works Director. And with me is Steve Gallop, our Transportation Division Manager, our Traffic Engineer, also available for any legal questions that might come up. Kevin McDowell is back there and can help us as well. So, Steve, I'm going to let you answer that question and then I assume you might have some others as well. There. So, with the staff report, we list some eligibility criteria to be able to have the waiver of $5,000.
1:10:25 So, I don't know if you want me to go through that eligibility list. >> Well, not so much eligibility, but more as if, I mean, I don't know how many venues would attempt to receive these waivers or fees. And so, if there's more entities than $5,000 covers, what happens there? And how is priority determined? Is it a first come, first serve? It's not a first come, first serve. It is based on, you know, if you're going to have a parade or a public event in the right-of-way. Like, for example, you've heard the Hazel Dell Parade Band of Parades, or excuse me, Parade of Bands.
1:11:17 They, you know, like Hawks and Funds Day Parade, the Brush Prairie Car Show, Amboy Territorial Days Parade. So, it's typically those parades that we have. >> I think I read, I didn't connect the dots on this. Maybe, is it any entity can get up to, that makes it better. >> Yes. >> Okay, I thought it was a total waiver, like annually of $5,000. >> No, it's in the event. >> Okay, that makes a big difference. Okay, thank you. >> And I can share, this is solidifying past practice in supporting those events in the unincorporated area. So, this is just formalizing it for record keeping and for parameters for staff if we were to get other requests. >> Great. And then the other question that I had was with insurance. And I know that tends to be a, it can be another financial barrier to some of these events.
1:12:15 And so I was just curious if you, I know I'm sure the legal team looked at this. But are we doing our best to make sure that the insurance requirements are such that these organizations can actually procure that insurance? >> Is there even insurance tied to this? >> Yes, there is. >> Okay, thank you. >> And it's the second item here on the staff report. So doing our best to ensure that they can meet the insurance needs. I mean, this is to protect the county, of course, as well as the event holders in the event something should happen. So it's pretty standard practice for us to indemnify and have the insurance request. So I'm not sure exactly. >> I guess my question would be, are we looking at the levels of coverage that are required and
1:13:10 making sure that they're appropriate and not way out of the ballpark? >> I assume so. We haven't done this process yet, though. >> And maybe Amber. >> Good evening, Chair, Councillor. Amber Smith, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. To clarify, normally with the processes and what we look at through contract review for the legal team, or the deputy prosecuting attorneys that work for you. We ensure that there is indemnification language and there's insurance language. The Clark County Risk Management Department that's part of HR and risk management, they are the ones that work closely with our actuaries to help figure out what are the appropriate levels for insurance based on, generally speaking, its event sizes, what types of things were bound to occur, other factors and variables. And we ask the offices and departments to work closely with risk management and finding what those appropriate levels are.
1:14:07 >> Okay, so are those levels, can they be different for different events tailored kind of to that? Or is it just a blanket policy for all events? >> I would say presumably, but I don't speak on behalf of the risk management team with respect to that. I can say from past practice and experience that I've had with other jurisdictions, but not maybe necessarily directly here, that the risk team does, in fact, look at different factors and variables when it comes to different levels of insurance, when it comes to a myriad of things. >> Okay, and don't take that, I mean, we need to make sure that the insurance is appropriate. I just, if we have a one size fits all, it can be very onerous for small events. >> Yeah, no, it is reviewed based on what is being considered. >> Okay, perfect. >> And that's not addressed in the resolution. I'd just like to note that the resolution simply provides that insurance is required. >> Okay.
1:15:06 >> It also sets forth who the additional insureds need to be named as, the county, the county's officers, employees. So it's simply setting the framework for there has to be insurance, here's who the insurance has to cover. The limits itself and the type of coverage is actually not even addressed in this resolution. >> Okay, great, thank you, appreciate it. >> Thank you, Kevin. I'll go ahead and move approval of item number 21. >> Okay, any further questions? It's been moved, is there a second? >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Thank you very much. Sorry for any drama that was created, and thank you, Councilor Belcott, for helping to figure this one out. Okay, item 24. >> That would be me again.
1:16:05 >> And Council, again, Ken Lader, Public Works Director. I'll just introduce Betsy as she's coming up. >> Sure. >> This is Betsy Wing, our program manager for Camp Bonneville. She'll be able to answer most of your questions, I'm sure, so. >> I don't really have any questions. I just, I mentioned before, pretty much any time something comes up on Camp Bonneville, I plan to poll it just so that it's a more public conversation and that the people can understand a little bit more about it. So just go ahead and give us a summary of what this particular item is and what it means and anything else that you feel like the public might need to know. >> Sure. So this item that's before you is a request to approve Amendment Number 19 for the Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement, Number W9128F0620160 for Camp Bonneville.
1:17:01 This is, as the name implies, is a cooperative agreement that the county has with the Army. This is as evidenced by, you know, this is the 19th Amendment. This is a process that has been ongoing. And this particular amendment has been developed in consultation with the Army after the county reviewed spending that has been ongoing over the past year in order to implement required institutional controls for the property for the cleanup actions. And there's been increased spending, and so one of the contract line items, Number 11, which is for institutional controls, we noticed was dwindling, and part of the ESCA agreement allows for us to move funds around as needed. So essentially what this amendment does is reallocate funding to allow for the county to continue implementation of institutional controls.
1:17:59 That's done through moving remaining funds in line item Number 12, which was for Clark County oversight time, excuse me, Clark County oversight overtime. That is actually accounted for in line item 11 already, so we're just consolidating funds there. And then we're also moving funds from, I believe it's 14, which is the Washington State Department of Ecology's line item for their oversight work. They've been doing extensive oversight work of late relating to the periodic review and our you to see our Fs work remedial investigation feasibility study. We expect that pace to slow down. And now that the periodic review is behind us, and while they will continue to be billing. Again, we don't expect as high of a billing as we've been seeing.
1:18:52 And then lastly, we had asked to open up line item 13 which relates to long term obligations. This line item was, I believe in 2011 was the last time that that number was updated and so not only were we asking to be able to access these funds to use towards our long term obligations which relate to caring for institutional controls making sure that they're maintained, but to adjust that number to account for inflation. And so that increased budget is reflective of that inflation number. So, and lastly, there's an increased period of performance for the line item 11 for the institutional controls implementation, it just allows us to access those funds for a longer period of time and keeping with some of the other line item periods of performance.
1:19:52 I also just quickly want to note in the staff report. There's a typo related to one of the line items it says 13 when it shows up 14. And additionally, the attached agreement from the army the escape modification, the period of performance for line item 11. It says 28 now we actually have a revised version that states 2053, I think it is. And that's what stated in the staff report, it's just not reflected in that attached table we have that updated document so I just wanted to, for the record, clarify that. So the 2053 is accurate. That is correct. Wow, that's a long time. Unfortunately, yes. Okay, thank you. Appreciate it. So, just quick question just to. So this is purely just a funding contracting modification moving things around, and then stating the pop as I say my.
1:20:51 This is what I do for a living so that's all it is. It's just to correct the period of performance at the end. That's correct. Yeah, and I know there was a comment that came in, suggesting that it was for increased costs for remediation work and that is not the case here. Okay, great. Any other questions. Thanks for that clarification course. There a motion to approve. So move. Thank you. Is there a second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Thank you. Okay, that concludes the consent agenda and moving on to separate business, and this is from the county manager request approval for additional full time equivalence for law and justice personnel.
1:21:43 Yes, good evening Council. So, before you tonight is a request approval to have additional employees for long justice using the newly approved criminal justice sales tax. Just as a reminder, the Washington State legislator approved two additional funding sources to support long justice. One was a local law enforcement grant program, and the second was the Councilman at criminal justice sales and use tax. This request is specific to the sales and use tax. Council previously discussed this specific tax five times in the last year, recognizing the need for the sheriff to add additional deputies and provided the initial direction to bring this request back to council for final consideration. This request specifically seeks council's approval to add additional staffing, including 26 employees in the sheriff's office. That includes 21 deputies, one of which will be dedicated to the heart team.
1:22:41 One sergeant, a volunteer coordinator, communication specialist, and two support staff. Additionally, 43 long justice employees will be added to support the impact of the additional law enforcement. That includes the courts, the clerk's office, jail services, public defense, and prosecuting attorney. And then finally, there'll be three central service positions supporting this for payroll, HR, and budget. Please note that the sheriff's office deputies will be added as positions become available. And then the support or impacted departments will be added as the impacts come to fruition. There is a draft head count summary attached to the staff report that has the estimated timing. But I want to be clear though, this is not solidified in stone, as the sheriff's office will add new deputies as they're ready to become filled. There's also a draft six year financial forecast that's attached for the new tax.
1:23:40 This will be updated annually during the budget process just to true up what actually occurred as positions are hired. Just further note, this does not fully commit the new tax that we're receiving. And there will be discussions with council for policy direction on future allocations, which could include additional sheriff's office employees, law and justice, looking at our deficit, and other options. As the council may recall, law and justice partners have been actively engaged in discussions over the past couple of years. Identifying their needs and the impact to increasing law enforcement personnel and the importance of ensuring that, that system is reviewed holistically to ensure that the adequate resources are there to maintain a functional system. Again, before you tonight is the request to solidify the council support for adding additional sheriff's office deputies and other related positions.
1:24:38 Happy to answer any questions council may have. >> Questions? Councilor Fuentes, your light's on. Other questions? >> I don't have any questions, just a quick comment. I've been on the council now for close to three and a half years, and this is an issue that I wanted to address from day one. And it is nice to be able to do this, to add deputies and law enforcement in our community. And I'm grateful for the revenue source that was allowed or given us the opportunity to use from the state. Otherwise, this would not be happening, because we did not have the resources. So happy to give you the help, sheriff, and support the work you do, and this is the beginning of a larger conversation,
1:25:34 like you said, on how we're going to be able to use the remainder of the funds to bolster law and justice in our community. >> I have some questions on the six-year forecast, because as I'm looking at this and it looks like, so we don't have a full year for 26, and then in 27, it looks like it's close to 15 million. And then as you keep going out, the price tag gets, it looks like higher and higher. But the resource doesn't go up as much as the cost. And it doesn't look like we have very much really left to do, much by way of either adding additional staffing besides the head count that was put together,
1:26:31 or anything we might want to do related to addressing our structural deficit. So I just have concerns that this is a great kind of windfall for us. But as we look out as far as all of law and justice needs, it's not going to get us there. >> Yeah, unfortunately, it's not based on what you have seen from, I'm not going to say just for law and justice, but for general fund departments, there is a structural deficit. This has the projection, yeah, Larry's still here, they can help. The projection for the revenue is in accordance with what we use for other sales tax. The expenses on here is an estimate based on today, but this is going to change dependent on when people get hired. And we also have to increase that because they're employees.
1:27:29 But you can see the projecting ending fund balance there actually increases over the years. So for 2027, it's at 11.1 million and it increases out to 2031 to 37.3 million. Is it going to fully balance us? No, but it will certainly make an impact that's needed. And council's going to have more detailed discussions on available funding here on what your priorities are, as well as other funding sources that you may want to consider. >> When might we have those discussions? >> I'm trying to solidify everything, I'm hoping within the next month, because we got jail that we need to talk about. We got sheriff's office, we got law and justice. We have a lot, and I think it's all going to come to you in a nice little package that you can have a discussion to determine where your priorities are. >> And including public defense? >> Yes. >> Yeah, okay. Sheriff, would you like to add anything? Welcome.
1:28:29 Glad you could be here. >> Good evening, everyone. I know it's getting late. We've had long discussions about this over the years, as we've talked about. I know some of the counselors are newer, but the three of you have been around a long time. I think the county manager put everything together in a package. We've been working on this since you took the vote last July or August. We've been working on this personnel issue, so I appreciate your tentative vote in November. And I'm hoping that, assuming that the vote is positive tonight, I thank you for that. The employees, thank you for that. I know Kathleen mentioned it, but that projection she doesn't have, if we do get some of that grant money, it's a good thing. We put it in for about $6 million, and the jail put it in for about $3 million. And we can use those, if we get approved for that, for full-time employees until that runs out, or however much we get. So that's a bonus factor. That's not up there. But we can't count on it yet, because we haven't heard back yet on that. >> Right, and as I understand, that can move things along more quickly in terms of hiring.
1:29:29 >> Yes, exactly. And as of two or three weeks ago, and I sent you, at least to chair an email, we were actually at zero vacancies. That's the first time I've ever seen that in 37 years. It only lasted for about two days, because every organization's going to have vacancies. But we actually went to zero, and we were ready to hire if there was tax money in there. So from 23, 24 vacancies a few years ago, we keep it within zero to three or four. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead. >> Any other questions? >> Go ahead. >> No, this is just a long time coming, and I fully support it. I'd like to move separate business item number one. >> Okay, thank you for your motion. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Any further discussion? >> No. >> All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Motion carries. Thank you very much. Okay, then moving on to item two.
1:30:29 I have some notes here I need to refer to. Okay, so this is a request to approve employment agreement between Clark County and Kathleen Otto. I have a little background information to provide, just in terms of the county manager, has worked for Clark County since 2020. And historically, there's been more informal performance evaluations. But this past year in 2025, we established and completed a more formal evaluation process. And to ensure that this continues forward, the chair, whoever the chair may be, will initiate the process annually.
1:31:27 And that will be referenced in our rules and procedures when we get around to adopting those. And then also, the raise may seem high, but to provide some context, the county manager's position was not included in the contracted Baker-Chile study that was done, which was a county-wide assessment for compensation. Because several years ago, we were falling very much behind. And as a result of not being competitive in terms of salaries, we were losing staff, it was having a significant impact. So for whatever reason, the county manager's position was not included.
1:32:15 And then also, something that begins to occur if that position doesn't keep up with the prevailing comparables is compression, where those who are working under the county manager are getting closer and closer to her salary. So that was an issue that needed to be addressed as well. And I would just say that through the process, the evaluation process, which included reaching out to all of the department heads and the county-wide electeds to get their input, the evaluation was very positive and in most cases exceeded expectations.
1:33:11 So this was the recommendation, maybe I could read the recommendation in terms of salary, well, the terms would be May 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, with an option to extend one additional year on mutual agreement. And the salary levels that are outlined in the report would, which again are comparable to public sector organizations of comparable size and responsibility. Effective May 1, 2026, the annual salary will be $238,880. Effective January 1, 2027, it moves to $250,824 annually,
1:34:05 plus consumer price index adjustment and the potential for a merit increase. And then effective January 1, 2028, CPI adjustment plus potential for merit increase. We couldn't bring it fully up to comparables in one year, but this sets us on that trajectory. Are there -- oh, and then the benefits. The employee shall receive all employment benefits provided to executive management employees, which includes department heads and deputies of elected departments. So with that, are there any questions or further comments anyone would like to make? Chair? Yes. I just want to say thank you so much, Kathleen. I think you are an asset. I know you are an asset to this county. You're on a tight ship.
1:35:02 Your employees are grateful for working with you. In the past year plus that I worked with you, I've enjoyed it and thank you. And you deserve this M1. Thank you for that. Other comments? Go ahead. Yes. You mentioned tight ship. And I will say the ship has not been tight. There's been lots of holes in it and I feel like the last three and a half years we have been one by one plugging those holes, catching things up and bringing things at the county to very professional level to what the public would expect of an organization like us. So thank you for that work. I look forward to working with you in the future and setting more goals. I really feel like things in three and a half years have really changed trajectory and I appreciate your work and effort on that. Thank you. Other comments? Go ahead. I just want to say how much we appreciate you and your work. You know you're modest and didn't ask for this.
1:35:59 We decided to do this for all the reasons that the chair provided. So thank you for what you do. Thank you. Go ahead. I'll just echo what Councillor Young said. We've made some major improvements with department heads and movements on employees and all sorts of things and shifting and changing and you're always very flexible and easy to get a hold of. So I very much appreciate that. Well deserved. Thank you so much. Thank you all for your comments and I would just say that things have gotten increasingly complicated and challenging and having someone who can deal with a wide breadth of issues at the same time has been essential. So I guess with that, is there a motion? Motion to approve separate business item number two. Second. Moved and seconded. All in favor say aye. Aye.
1:36:59 Passed unanimously. Okay, thank you council. Moving on to item three. Approval to create a capital project and authorize county manager to execute purchase and sale agreement and sign warranty deed. Another closing document on a 0.7 acre located at this address in Vancouver. Thank you chair. Ken later public works director I was going to read that part but you took the thunder from me online is David Stipe, and he will talk us through this one and, and then we'll be available for any questions. Okay, you're on mute. He's looking, he's looking for that mute button. There we go. Well, there we go. I'm, I'm having audio issues I apologize.
1:37:59 Care Marshall, members of the council, as can later mentioned my David Skype on the planning and development manager for the parks and nature division. We're here before you this evening to ask for permission to negotiate a purchase and fail of a point seven acre parcel on the north, east corner of an existing parks and nature parcel that we refer to, either at the Anderson property or the Anderson very property. This is the five acquisition to improve our level of service in this district and address some concurrency issues with PIP funds. The map.
1:38:49 I apologize for the small tech, the math before you shows approximately where the point five point seven acres is again it improves the usable acreage of the future community park on the Anderson property. Typically our community parks are 10 acres or larger. And this property will just be just under 10 acres, following this hopeful acquisition. It also provides improved access to this parcel for the future community park that we're planning to develop there and go to the next slide zooms into the property. The property as I mentioned in the northeast corner of the existing Anderson property, which is two parcels there at the corner, northeast hundred and 82nd Avenue and northeast 83rd Street.
1:39:47 In this area, the intersection of 182nd and 83rd is a non stop right turn, also hundred and 82nd head east on 83rd Street, and the speeds in this area are pretty, pretty fast folks are leaving the urban area and picking up speed to head out into the county and acquiring this property not only helps us with the acreage and the dimensional standards that we would be looking for to develop a community park, but it also allows us to put an entrance to the future park at the furthest possible location from the intersection.
1:40:33 This is the part of our sort of normal piff property acquisition practice. We as everyone else in the county, we're willing seller willing buyer entity, and the Edmonds family may actually be on the call this evening, but we struck up a conversation. Rick Edmonds and I did when we were doing some demolition work on the site and Rick had expressed an interest in telling the property to the county to enhance the park, which is a wonderful gift to the community, regardless of whether we're purchasing it or not.
1:41:21 If you look at the purchase and sale agreement, there's a range for the price for the property of between 625,000 and $825,000. This is not uncommon for the Parks Department to establish a purchase and sale agreement with ranges. It gives them the opportunity to end the purchase and sale agreement, if property appraises below that $625,000 number and it gives us the opportunity to end the purchase and sale agreement, if it appraises for over $825,000. Regardless of those numbers, we pay appraised value for property and we work with the real property services to get an appraisal and a review appraisal for all purchases.
1:42:14 So, last slide is the reiteration to go to the next slide is what the council requested and I'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have. Okay, thank you. Are there questions? I have a question. David, did you say this was the former Anderson Dairy? Well, there's two different Anderson Dairies. There's actually three different Anderson families. This is Linda Anderson and her husband owned the Anderson property and this is not the larger Anderson Dairy that most people know on the count. That's why we typically call it the Anderson Dairy. Okay, that's what I was wondering. So, thank you for the clarification. No problem. Other questions? Chair, thank you. What is the condition of the home?
1:43:14 Councilor Young, the home's actually, I've not been in the home. I've seen pictures of the home, but it's a CMU block single story ranch or rambler depending on, you know, what term you want to use. And they've done a really nice job of caring for the property and the home appears from the outside and the pictures that I've seen of the inside to be in really good condition. Okay, thank you. It's one of those things that are the challenge with purchasing property for parks is you're paying for the building that's there that is likely to be demolished.
1:43:58 It's unfortunate, but there's no way around it. I mean, everything's developed everywhere and yeah, I mean, it makes sense with this being kind of a corner carved out of the existing site that we have, but it is painful to pay for that building and only have to know that we're going to be demolishing. I'm assuming that's in the plan anyway. That's what we have typically done with the properties that we acquire. That being said, we have a property on the northeast corner of the Prairie Field property up north that we currently have a host in.
1:44:46 We have a host in the Molton Falls property. We have a host at the Hopper boat launch so we do have homes that we keep and we typically demolish the homes that don't have a whole lot of value to the Parks and Nature division. This property or this home has potential to be a host house, when the property is developed. And I wouldn't say that the foregone conclusion is to demolish the property. That being said, the budget request is to have $100,000 above and beyond the purchasing of the property for property security and potential demolition, but right now that's not the plan.
1:45:45 Any other questions? Okay, I'll entertain a motion to approve. I so move. Okay, thank you. Is there a second? Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you, Council. Okay, moving on to item four. Thank you, Chair. I'll let you introduce this. Thank you. Yeah, we're before you actually to kind of go with what David just said, willing seller willing buyer, we're before you here tonight.
1:46:29 With approval resolution, we're requesting that you direct the county engineer to acquire proposed right away and instruct public works to proceed with notification and publication for the necessary acquisition of additional right away for the northeast hazel. Avenue and burnt bridge Creek trail crossing. This is our project that we're doing in in cooperation with the city of Vancouver to extend the trail and do that connection, make it safer through the area. We are having trouble getting any kind of contact or feedback from this property owner, so Laura will go into that with you and I'll turn it over to Laura Henry sly, our program manager for RPS. Good evening. All right. Good evening counselors. Again, my name is Laura Henry sign in the room. I also have counsel.
1:47:27 Kevin McDowell for any questions that we may have in this regard and as a candid state that we're in front of you today we have two resolutions for you. And I'm for the audience here I, and for your education as well I just kind of want to go over a broad stroke of what this is all about. So, under Washington State law the RC w 8.08101, so every county is authorized to empower to condemn land for public purpose. And so the initial phase. So it's the condemnation phases is in three phases. The first one is the initial phase where it's like you go forth and go, go get the right away that is needed for the project, and this is where we are required to identify private property for public purpose.
1:48:23 We do our due diligence we state that we stick the right of way we hire appraisers we have, we hire an additional appraiser to review that appraisal, we share all this information with the project with the property owner. And this is when we begin our negotiations. And so this second phase which is very unusual rare for at least Clark County is that we come to an impasse with the property owner for various reasons. And so we're asking the council to ask to provide proper notification so that we can set a public hearing at a later date. The final and third phase which is again is rare is that during the public hearing. The council would, we would request that the council declared that this would be a public use of necessity and then direct the PA's office to go across the street and start the condemnation process on that.
1:49:19 So to be clear for tonight, we're asking for resolution for the initial phase and for the second phase for it to be able to set a date for a public hearing. So let's talk about the project because that's the fun part right? >> Can I just ask you a question here? >> Sure. >> How does it, and I know this occurrence is rare, but even within that, are there times when going from the notification to actually doing the public hearing and implementing condemnation proceedings? Is sometimes there agreement that can be achieved in that window? >> Absolutely, this is a good tool to get people to the table to talk. >> Great. >> Absolutely, this is my goal. >> Good, thanks. >> All right, the next phase. Or the next slide please.
1:50:16 So for your education and the audience out here, this project is located in the Hazeldale neighborhood. It's along the avenue and it connects the Discovery Trail which is located within the city of Vancouver to the Burnt Ridge Trail which is a county asset. The sidewalk will connect, the connection is mostly inside the limits of Clark County. And the county secured the funding and the county is supporting this effort by purchasing the right of way. So would you go to the next slide please? So part of the next slide. So here you see a street view of Hazeldale Avenue, so on the top side of the slide here shows where those blue apartments are further away.
1:51:12 That is the trail head, yeah, so the bottom lower right hand, yeah, right down there, that is the trail head where the city is. And it would, right there where there would be a flashing, I'm gonna kill this, a rapid flashing beacon where there would be safer pedestrians get across Hazeldale Avenue. Then on the east side, there we have a sidewalk connection up to the trail head. The whole project is very small, it's about 800 linear feet. And then we have three property owners that we're dealing with or two we have conclusion with. So the timeline, if you go to this, so we own a very tight timeline to make our construction deadlines. Tonight we are asking you to pass the first and the second resolutions.
1:52:06 The second resolution would set a public hearing for June 2nd, my goal is not to see you on June 2nd. But that would initiate the, that would be where you would direct the PA's office to initiate that. And we're trying to get this all wrapped up by the first part of August so that we can get that certification. That is an important trigger for us because that releases the construction dollars for us to deliver that project. >> That's kind of it, got any questions? >> Are there any questions? Go ahead, Councilor. >> Is the sidewalk slated for the west or the east side? It must be the west, because that's where the homes are. >> Yes. >> It's the west side. >> All right, and it can't go on the east side, that's not a feasible option? >> I believe that is not feasible. >> Okay. >> Yeah, when we looked at both, it doesn't make sense. >> We looked through this when we went on the bike tour.
1:53:03 And I appreciate you working with the city on this, because we have amazing trails on both sides of this intersection here. And this horribly clunky, inadequate connection between the two. So this is really a great project for the county and the city both. >> One of the things, if you think about coming southbound on Hazelville Avenue, putting the connection on the other side, takes the foot traffic all the way up to any traffic traveling southbound on Hazel Avenue. The site distance is pretty short coming around that corner. >> Yeah, that makes sense. >> So that's one of the main reasons, but I'm not sure if there are others. >> Okay, yeah, I mean, to me, this serves a significant community need and a benefit to the community. And certainly hope that we can work things out with this property owner and that everybody can win out of this. But I would support moving forward at this time. >> Thank you. Any other questions?
1:54:03 Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to approve item four. >> I so move item four. >> Okay. >> Aye. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Motion carries. >> Thank you, council. >> Thank you. Okay, and here we are at item five. Jennifer Daniel is coming up to tell us about this one, and maybe Ken can introduce it. >> Sure, I can introduce this again. And joining us is Jennifer Daniel, also with our real property services section. Our request before you for separate business item five is to authorize the county manager to accept a warranty deed. And temporary construction easement from Betty J Tribe revocable living trust agreement. And the date is on there as well as the parcel number.
1:55:00 So Jen can describe this and please ask us any questions.
1:55:12 >> Hello, okay. Thank you. Thank you, Ken, and good evening, counselors. For the record, my name is Jennifer Daniel. I'm a real property agent for Public Works. This request before you tonight seeks council approval authorizing the county manager to accept a warranty deed and temporary construction easement from Betty J Tribe revocable living trust for the Northeast 179th Street at Northeast 29th Avenue intersection improvement project. The county needs to acquire a 52 foot strip of land or 13,520 square feet along the southerly boundary of the tribe property. Which is located at the intersection of Northeast 179th and 29th Avenue. And at 7,280 square foot temporary construction easement. The owners needed additional time to review the county's offer and signed a possession use agreement. To allow the project to move forward while staff continued negotiations. The council approved and executed the possession use agreement on May 28th, 2024.
1:56:12 Just compensation for the land, temporary construction easement and improvements being acquired was established by an independent appraiser in the amount of $104,700. Staff reached a negotiated settlement for an additional $5,091 for a final compensation of $109,791. The project is currently under construction and will improve the intersection of Northeast 179th Street and Northeast 29th Avenue to reconstruct the existing single lane all way controlled stop intersection to a roundabout. But constructed for a multi lane roundabout to accommodate for future growth and traffic needs. Acceptance of conveyances for county road projects is completed by the county engineer. However, because the total compensation exceeds $100,000, council acceptance is required under Clark County code 2.33A.090 subsection I.
1:57:12 Therefore, staff is requesting the council formally accept the warranty deed and temporary construction easement as a final step to complete the acquisition. That concludes my presentation today. Thank you for your time and available to answer any questions you have. Thank you. Are there any questions? I don't see any questions. I'll entertain a motion to approve. >> Motion to approve, separate business item number five. >> Thank you. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. You can tell this is the last item. >> Thank you very much. Have a good evening. >> Thank you very much. Motion carries. All right, and then finally, county manager report. >> Yes, I just wanted to share that April, the month of April is National County Government month, that it's established by the National Association of Counties, or NACo. We're fortunate to have outstanding employees here who work every day to support our community,
1:58:11 whether it's law and justice, community services, community development, public health, and many more. I just want to say it's truly a privilege to serve Clark County and witness the positive impact that our staff has across the organization. Public service, as you know, is not easy. We don't get a lot of thank yous, and it's not for everybody, but it's incredibly important. So I just want to personally thank the council and all of our employees for their dedication to our community here in Clark County. >> Thank you very much, and I'm wondering why we don't have a proclamation. >> I agree, but we'll get the information out. >> I think we did last year. >> Yes. >> We missed that one. How well? Next year. Okay, thank you for that. Anything else from anyone? I guess we've concluded our agenda, and without objection, this meeting is adjourned.