In the Sept. 10 edition of The Reflector, Chuck Green chastised me in his letter to the editor spending too much time on the Clark County Planning Commission.
Maybe Chuck should spend some time on the planning commission. If he did, he would realize the future of Clark County population growth will occur in the cities, not in the unincorporated county.
The Washington State Growth Management Act directs counties to plan for growth for the next 20 years by enlarging city urban growth areas. Looking at a map of Clark County, start by subtracting out areas that are not available for development These include agricultural and timber lands, state and federal lands, critical habitat areas, wetlands, stream-side management areas, shoreline protection areas, parks and open space, and other specially-designated reserved areas. Then subtract city land; they have their own government.
With population growth occurring in the cities, and the large land areas not available for development in the unincorporated areas of the county, the population in the unincorporated area (county jurisdiction) will shrink as county land is added to city urban growth areas. Cities will grow, the county (unincorporated area) will become less populated. The county is working on an update to the comprehensive plan now, and areas of the county jurisdiction will be added to cities urban growth areas to accommodate a projected 20-year growth in population.
Why then do we need more county government?
Another reader wrote in her letter to the editor in the Sept. 17 edition of The Reflector about the “cost savings,” point out that the five new county councilors will “only” be paid $53,000 each, less than the current commissioner salary of $102,000-plus for each of the three commissioners, a “savings” of about $41,000. The difference is the current commissioners have a full-time job, logging well over 40 hours a week. At 40 hours a week, their pay is about $53/hour.
The five new “councilors” will be part-time, meeting only several times a week, like city councils. The charter requires only 22 meetings a year. If the five meet twice a week for 5 hours for each session, this would add up to about 40 hours a month. Their hourly pay would be about $110/hour – more pay for less work and much less responsibility, much of which will be delegated to an appointed county administrator. The pay of the new czar (county administrator) probably will be at least as much as the city manager for Vancouver, $180,000-plus/year. Again, where is the savings?
If you usually don’t vote (we usually have about a 30 percent voter turnout), please vote this time. It is critical that your voice be heard. If you still want any voice in county government, vote No on the Home rule Charter. It does nothing to improve the management of the county, gives more voice to the City of Vancouver (in spite of some claims – look at the proposed councilor districts), costs ore and produces less.
If you are not happy with the current commissioners, vote for someone else while you still can. If you vote “Yes’’ on the charter, you will abdicate county government to the City of Vancouver and someone there will have a bridge to sell you (with light rail).
Dick Deleissegues
Hockinson
