Lewis County Commissioners Bobby Jackson and Edna Fund are seen in this October file photo from The Chronicle.
Lewis County commissioners gathered with fellow county leaders from throughout the state this week to share insight and outline legislative priorities.
About 350 county elected officials and department directors attended the County Leaders Conference in Tacoma put on by the Washington State Association of Counties.
“We get really positive feedback on why it continues to be a very important conference,” said WSAC executive director Eric Johnson, a former Lewis County commissioner.
Lewis County commissioner Edna Fund, who is a member of WSAC’s board and serves on its Federal Issues Committee, said the conference is a good opportunity to confer with colleagues who are facing similar issues.
“I’m really hoping to get more information for our county and make the best we can with the hand that has been dealt us,” she said. “It is a really packed agenda, and it is very helpful for us to work together as counties.”
The conference agenda is a full slate running from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon. It includes sessions on things like homelessness and the upcoming 2020 Census. About two days of the conference are focused on training opportunities, Johnson said. He highlighted issues like fish passage, behavioral health, public health and solid waste as areas of focus this year.
Those line up with WSAC’s priorities in the Legislature this year, all of which revolve around state funding. No. 1 is funding for indigent defense, for which Washington state provides about 4 percent, leaving the burden on counties among the highest in the country. WSAC is also seeking more state funding for public health services.
Following a Supreme Court ruling forcing the state to replace culverts that impede fish passage, WSAC is urging legislators to take a comprehensive approach and not just do the legal bare minimum. Though the state must spend more than $2 billion replacing its own culverts, many more culverts lie on county property, and counties are concerned that the 21 tribes that sued the state could make counties their next target.
“We have to show the tribes that there is a plan to systematically replace these culverts,” Johnson said. “That pattern is not going to be any different if the tribes sue counties and cities. We need funding, and we need to get ahead of it.”
Lewis County Manager Erik Martin has said the county has more than 600 fish passage barriers on its roads, each of which would cost $300,000 or more to replace — an expense the county cannot afford.
WSAC’s final legislative priority is opposition of unfunded mandates, which are requirements imposed by the state for which it provides inadequate funding. A prime example of that was a measure passed last year requiring counties to provide more ballot drop boxes. Lewis County paid about $35,000 per box, receiving only about $1,000 each in state funding.
“We will continue to ask and work to assure that counties are in fact receiving funds to pay for any new programs and expanded services,” Johnson said. “Lewis County has been very articulate on this issue. We will just continue to oppose any unfunded mandate.”
Members at WSAC also voted on a federal lobbying agenda. The preliminary priorities, Johnson said, include forest health and wildfires, infrastructure, opioid funding and federal payments in the Secure Rural Schools and Payment In Lieu of Taxes programs.
Lewis County leaders also met Thursday morning with fellow timber county leaders, discussing priorities with leaders from the U.S. Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural Resources.
