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<br />Kittitas County Courthouse · 205 West 5th Avenue, STE 108 · Ellensburg, WA 98926 <br />(509) 962-7508 ·FAX (509) 962-7679 <br /> <br /> Kittitas County, Washington <br /> BOARD OF COUNTY <br />COMMISSIONERS <br /> District One <br />Cory Wright <br />District Two <br />Laura Osiadacz <br />District Three <br />Brett Wachsmith <br /> <br /> <br />May 2, 2023 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The Honorable Jay McGowan, Mayor <br />City of Cle Elum <br />119 West First Street <br />Cle Elum, WA 98922 <br /> <br /> <br />Dear Mayor McGowan, <br /> <br />For many years, governments in our county have operated in a siloed fashion. Cooperation did <br />occur, but it was not the accustomed way of doing business. As a result, we are now trying to <br />unravel some of the decisions of the past to form a better future that works in the interests of <br />all county citizens, both inside and outside our municipalities. We, the Board of County <br />Commissioners, have actively tried to change this history by holding joint meetings with three <br />city councils so far and plan to complete meetings with all councils by the end of this year. All <br />these meetings have shown signs of promise that issues of the past could be discussed and <br />framed for better outcomes as we struggle with unprecedented growth. <br /> <br />On January 30th of this year, we held a joint meeting with you and your council to discuss <br />issues of mutual concern regarding the impacts of population growth and tourism in our <br />region. From that discussion, both the City of Cle Elum and Kittitas County have now passed <br />resolutions to discuss joint planning. This is the first step towards building a cooperative and <br />transparent relationship that will enable our region to tackle the endemic issues around <br />growth that we now face. <br /> <br />Last year, Kittitas County Public Works Director Mark Cook sent an informal email to your staff <br />requesting an amendment to the Transportation Element of your Comprehensive Plan be <br />added for consideration during the 2022 review cycle. This amendment would require analysis <br />and mitigation of weekend traffic impacts for potential projects within your jurisdiction. <br />Currently this is not required. When this email went unanswered, this Board sent a letter to <br />you as Mayor, with a copy to your council, requesting these same proposed amendments be <br />added for consideration during your upcoming 2022 Comprehensive Plan review. Neither Mr. <br />Cook’s email nor our letter ever received a response. <br /> <br />On March 16th of this year, we received an email from City of Cle Elum Permit/Office <br />Technician Virgil Amick containing a public notice of the 2022 Annual Comprehensive Plan