HomeMy WebLinkAboutCle Elum Letter - Comp Plan Amendment
Kittitas County Courthouse · 205 West 5th Avenue, STE 108 · Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509) 962-7508 ·FAX (509) 962-7679
Kittitas County, Washington
BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
District One
Cory Wright
District Two
Laura Osiadacz
District Three
Brett Wachsmith
May 2, 2023
The Honorable Jay McGowan, Mayor
City of Cle Elum
119 West First Street
Cle Elum, WA 98922
Dear Mayor McGowan,
For many years, governments in our county have operated in a siloed fashion. Cooperation did
occur, but it was not the accustomed way of doing business. As a result, we are now trying to
unravel some of the decisions of the past to form a better future that works in the interests of
all county citizens, both inside and outside our municipalities. We, the Board of County
Commissioners, have actively tried to change this history by holding joint meetings with three
city councils so far and plan to complete meetings with all councils by the end of this year. All
these meetings have shown signs of promise that issues of the past could be discussed and
framed for better outcomes as we struggle with unprecedented growth.
On January 30th of this year, we held a joint meeting with you and your council to discuss
issues of mutual concern regarding the impacts of population growth and tourism in our
region. From that discussion, both the City of Cle Elum and Kittitas County have now passed
resolutions to discuss joint planning. This is the first step towards building a cooperative and
transparent relationship that will enable our region to tackle the endemic issues around
growth that we now face.
Last year, Kittitas County Public Works Director Mark Cook sent an informal email to your staff
requesting an amendment to the Transportation Element of your Comprehensive Plan be
added for consideration during the 2022 review cycle. This amendment would require analysis
and mitigation of weekend traffic impacts for potential projects within your jurisdiction.
Currently this is not required. When this email went unanswered, this Board sent a letter to
you as Mayor, with a copy to your council, requesting these same proposed amendments be
added for consideration during your upcoming 2022 Comprehensive Plan review. Neither Mr.
Cook’s email nor our letter ever received a response.
On March 16th of this year, we received an email from City of Cle Elum Permit/Office
Technician Virgil Amick containing a public notice of the 2022 Annual Comprehensive Plan
Kittitas County Courthouse · 205 West 5th Avenue, STE 108 · Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509) 962-7508 ·FAX (509) 962-7679
update process. After reviewing the draft amendments for consideration, we noted with
concern the absence of our requested amendment in the Public Review Draft dated March 16th,
2023. The lack of direct communication, either between staff or in response to our letter to you
and your council, regarding our request and its ultimate omission leaves us in doubt as to
whether our mutual upcoming planning process will bear the fruit expected by our respective
governments – as well as the public who attended our joint meeting.
In deference to the critical need for productive joint planning discussions, we respectfully
request a formal response to this letter from you and your council regarding this series of
events that led to our proposed amendment being excluded without discussion from your
2022 Comprehensive Plan Annual Docket. We believe that an internal discussion between you
and your council regarding this matter is necessary to determine a path forward that will
ensure mutual expectations of the City of Cle Elum and Kittitas County can be fulfilled. We look
forward to amicably solving this matter and beginning the process of collectively solving the
issues that now face our respective governments and the citizens whom we serve.
Sincerely,
Cory Wright Brett Wachsmith Laura Osiadacz
Chair Vice Chair Commissioner
C: By Electronic Mail
The Honorable Jay McGowan, Mayor
The Honorable John Glondo, Council Position 1
The Honorable Ken Ratliff, Council Position 2
The Honorable Beth Williams, Council Position 3
The Honorable Siw Bay-Hansen, Council Position 4
The Honorable Steven Harper, Council Position 5
The Honorable Matthew Lundh, Council Position 6
The Honorable Sarah Lackey, Council Position 7
Mark Cook, Kittitas County Public Works