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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: August 25, 2025 <br />TOPIC: Conference of Government — Economic <br />Development <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Information only <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Josh Fredrickson <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Informational briefing — no action required by the Board <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br />• Kittitas Conference of Governments (COG) is a regional planning agency under <br />the authority of RCW 36.70.060 and RCW 36.64.080 through 36.64.110 <br />• Kittitas County receives an allocation of Sales and Use tax for public facilities in <br />rural counties, or 0.09 funds <br />• COG has developed a work program related to infrastructure and promoting <br />economic development <br />• A partnership framework for collaboration and economic development has been <br />developed in partnership with the County Cities, Central Washington University <br />and Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce <br />• Economic development requires specific knowledge and skill set to be successful <br />• A structure for an economic development partnership has been developed <br />utilizing COG as an oversight body and supported by an Executive Director <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The Kittitas County Economic Development Partnership (KCEDP), a combination of <br />representatives from the City of Ellensburg, County, Central Washington University and <br />Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce have developed a framework to promote <br />economic development and begin implementation of the Economic Strategic Plan <br />adopted in 2023 (Resolution 2023-073). To build the necessary capacity and bring in the <br />required skill set to accomplish this, an organizational structure has been developed <br />(Exhibit 1). <br />