Pasco, WA
Franklin County’s newest commissioner wasted no time making his voice heard soon after he took his oath of office Wednesday.
In small but telling move at his first meeting, Commissioner Clint Didier ensured Commissioner Brad Peck won’t chair the three-member board in 2019.
Commissioner Bob Koch, now in his last term, will serve in the role instead.
The chairmanship typically rotates between the three commissioners each January. By tradition, though not law, Koch would normally have succeeded Peck in the role.
But in 2018, the board apparently agreed Peck should continue in the role for another year.
Wednesday, Koch explained that leaving the chairmanship unchanged would simplify the 2020 elections, when both his seat and Peck’s are up for election.
Koch said altering the rotation would spare Peck from returning to the chairman’s job in 2020, when he could be running for re-election. Koch said it made sense for Peck to retain the position in 2019 and for either him or Didier to take over in 2020.
Didier wasn’t pleased the roles were worked out before he took office.
“It’s a lot easier to have discussions about it instead of trying to run it through a year before,” he said at the meeting, later adding, “Thank you for the discussion.”
The commission voted 3-0 to give Koch the job this year. The chairman is the county equivalent of an honorary city mayor. He — the commissioners are all men — runs meetings and takes on other administrative tasks but has no other added authority.
Wednesday’s session kicks off a busy year for Franklin County that will include monitoring the financial performance of TRAC, negotiating new union contracts and continuing efforts to modernize the jail.
It begins with new rates for TRAC, the county-owned Trade, Recreational and Agricultural venue on Burden Boulevard in Pasco.
All three commissioners agreed Wednesday to a uniform master price list for renting the property.
The Washington State Auditor’s office recommended a uniform master list in its 2018 audit. The move is the latest in a string of maneuvers aimed at shoring up TRAC’s bottom line.
The new list authorizes General Manager Tom French to negotiate individual deals, subject to the commission’s scrutiny.
TRAC has been a flashpoint in recent years. Franklin County and the city of Pasco jointly covered operational losses that topped $500,000 as recently as 2015.
Keith Johnson, the county’s administrator, said cost-cutting and marketing efforts are paying off. He predicts TRAC will break even or even turn a modest profit when the final numbers for 2018 are tallied in a few months.
But 2019 promises to bring more debate about TRAC. Last year, the county controversially paved the dirt arena to keep its most profitable customers happy.
The move angered the agriculture community, which saw TRAC as a key outlet for horse and livestock related events.
Didier was one of the critics. As a candidate, he said TRAC should drop the “A” from its name and the county should turn the venue over to the city.
The new rates include $10,000 a day for the entire facility, $4,000 for the expo side of the building, $4,000 for the newly-paved arena side, $1,200 for the atrium, $2,000 for the pavilion and $100 to $350 for meeting rooms. Rates drop for longer term leases and do not include set up fees
Johnson said the rates were developed with input from customers so there should be no unexpected hikes.
In other business, the 2019 agenda includes negotiating contracts for county employees who work in the appraiser’s office, the roads department, the courthouse and some sheriff’s employees.
Last month, the board of commissioners approved a $31 million budget, a decrease of nearly $1.8 million. The decrease is, in part, because of the consolidation of 911 dispatching responsibilities at the Southeast Communications Center in Richland last August.
Before consolidation, 911 calls in Franklin County were routed through the dispatch center operated by the sheriff’s office.