These notes were taken by an Okanogan County Watch volunteer. Every attempt is made to be accurate. Notes are verbatim when possible, and otherwise summarized or paraphrased.
Note takers comments or clarifications are in italics. These notes are not the official county record of the meeting. For officially approved minutes, which are normally published at a later time, CLICK HERE.
The time stamps refer to the times on the AV Capture archive of the meeting on this date at the County livestream archive. To locate items in real time, the clock on the wall in the AV Capture screen can be helpful.
02.18.2025 Tues AM BOCC
Meeting Highlights:
The law firm that the county uses for land use issues is raising its hourly fees. The commissioners, Esther Milner, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor, Albert Lin, County Prosecutor, and Pete Palmer, Director of Planning discuss strategies to deal with the situation.
Zak Kennedy, County Lobbyist, updates the commissioners about last week in Olympia. Because of falling revenue, Kennedy says it will be very hard to pass any bill with a fiscal component, even one as low as $100,000.
Commissioner Hover reads aloud a document concerning a complaint filed by the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Employees Association in 2023. The document says that the Public Employee Relations Council has found that the county has committed an unfair labor practice.
The county’s Finance Committee updates the commissioners. The committee is considering changing the employees’ purchasing credit card to a new bank—Washington Federal.
The commissioners hope to get a ballot measure on the April ballot, but the deadline is Feb. 21.
Pete Palmer and Josh Hickman, the Planning Department’s Compliance Coordinator, present a report Hickman has written concerning Nightly Rentals in the county. Many are unlicensed and Hickman discusses methods to increase compliance, maintain a fair and equitable market in the county and recoup lost revenue, perhaps a substantial amount.
Meeting adjourned at 11:35.