BOCC update for Oct. 5, 2026, Agenda for the week of Oct. 12, 2026

[emily_sisson]

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The weekly update contains links to the complete notes for each meeting we cover as well as links to the county's video of the meetings we don't.

Monday, Oct. 5, 2026 AM
• Tim Meadows, Maintenance Supervisor, and the commissioners discuss the pros and cons of a $700,000 grant from the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation that requires a $300,000 match. Among other things, the grant money would be used to bring the courthouse up to ADA compliancy. They decide that the in-house cost of compliancy would be less than $300,000, and that the other work the grant money would fund could easily have cost overruns. They decide not to move forward with the grant.
• The commissioners and Pete Palmer, Planning Director, discuss the possibility of increasing the annual fee charged to cannabis farms. They would use the additional money raised to fund two position, one that would oversee compliance issues with the cannabis operations and another to deal with Conditional Use Permits for them.
• The commissioners and Larry Hudson discuss the Noxious Weed budget for 2027. They discuss alternatives to raising salaries such as employees working 36 hours/week in 2027 for the same salary they earned in 2026 working 40 hours/week. Commissioner Hover says he will know more about how the county will handle salaries after he talks to more offices and the 11 unions that the county has contracts with. Cari Hall, County Auditor, says that they don’t get the actual amounts for employee benefits and L&I costs from the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) until later in the year.
• The commissioners speculate that the county’s liability insurance may increase by $300,000 next year.
• Meeting adjourned at 11:40 for lunch.

Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 6 & 7, 2026
County Watch was unable to take notes for Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s meetings. You can read the agenda and watch the AV Capture recording of the meetings. Click on Live Stream Meetings on the county's homepage: OkanoganCounty.gov and choose the date you want to view. Use the clock on the far wall of the Commissioners’ meeting room to help find the particular agenda item that interests you. You may have to expand the video to full screen to be able to read the clock.

AGENDA for the upcoming week:
Monday, October 12, 2026
Join Microsoft TEAMS Video Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 266 945 779 797 96 Passcode: vB7E8j5u
Dial in by phone +1 469 998 7466 Phone ID: 762 003 408#
9:00 AM Review Commissioners Agenda and Consent Agenda
9:05 AM Discuss Individual Weekly Meetings and Briefings Among Commissioners
9:15 AM Public Comment Period
9:30 AM Commissioners’ Staff Meeting
10:30 AM Quarterly Update Juvenile Department- Mike Beaver
11:00 PM Update Human Resources/ Risk Management - Shelley Keitzman
1:30 PM Budget Work Session Auditor
2:30 PM Budget Work Session Planning

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Join Microsoft TEAMS Video Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 266 945 779 797 96 Passcode: vB7E8j5u
Dial in by phone +1 469 998 7466 Phone ID: 762 003 408#
9:00 AM Review Meeting Minutes
9:15 AM Public Comment Period
10:00 AM Budget Work Session Coroner
10:30 AM Discussion - County Land-Commercial/Industrial Development, Cannabis Follow-up, 2027 EA Contract, and CERB (Community Economic Revitalization Board) Funding/Commerce Capital Project - Economic Alliance Roni Holder-Diefenbach
1:30 PM Board of Health-County Commissioners' Hearing Room at 123 5th Ave N, Okanogan.
3:30 PM Approve Commissioner Proceedings October 5, 6 and 7, 2026
3:35 PM Approve Consent Agenda
1. Agreement IA325-454 Amendment 2 – Snowmobile Trail Grooming – WA State Parks
2. Agreement WR 325-451 Amendment 3 – Plowing Snow Parks – WA State Parks
3. Bill of Sale – 3 VHR Part 22 FCC Licenses – RiverCom
4. County Reimbursable Agreement – Okanogan Conservation District – Public Works Department
5. Reimbursable Work Request – Okanogan Conservation District – Public Works Department
6. Purchase of Weed Spraying Materials for Reimbursable Work Request– Public Works Department
7. Site Lease Agreement – Jackass Butte Radio Site – Townsend Ranch, LLC
8. A-19 – ARPA Fund 170 Request #34 Tunk Mtn Fire Hardening – ADCOMM
9. Notice of Special Occasion License Application – February 20, 2027 - Winthrop Ice & Sports Rink
10. Resolution 133-2026 – First Amendment of Contract Zoning Document - Outward Bounds West Block One PD 2004-2
3:40 PM Commissioners to set Wednesday's Agenda

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Join Microsoft TEAMS Video Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 266 945 779 797 96 Passcode: vB7E8j5u
Dial in by phone +1 469 998 7466 Phone ID: 762 003 408#
9:00 AM Budget Work Session Commissioners Misc. Funds

State, Community and Other Meetings or Notices
(Meetings in this section may not be opened to the public, however a Commissioner may attend one or all of these meetings. Meetings that more than one Commissioner attend will be noted above. Location of meeting will follow meeting name.)

Monday, October 12, 2026
5:00 PM OCOG/RTPO (Okanogan Council of Governments/Regional Transportation Planning Organization) Meeting 303 2nd Ave S Okanogan

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
6:00 PM Okanogan County Emergency Services Organization, 123 5th Ave Rm 107

Thursday, October 15, 2026
11:00 AM Civil Service meeting

UPCOMING MEETINGS – In the Commissioners’ Hearing Room Unless Stated Otherwise
October 19 Budget Work Session – Treasurer
October 19 Budget Work Session Veteran Services
October 19 Budget Work Session Sheriff, Jail, Communication and S&R
October 20 Finance Committee Meeting - Treasurer Pam Johnson
October 20 Budget Work Session Central Services
October 21 TRANGO MEETING - 303 2nd Ave S Suite A, Okanogan
October 21 Hearing Examiner Meeting at 6 PM
October 23 LTAC (Lodging Tax Advisory Committee) Committee – Prepare Award Recommendations
October 26 Budget Work Session Juvenile
October 26 Budget Work Session District Court

Note: All times are estimates to assist in scheduling and may be changed subject to the business of the day at the board's discretion. The board may add and/or delete and take any action on any item not included in the above agenda. The board may act upon any subject placed on the agenda regardless of how the matter is stated. All matters listed within the consent agenda have been distributed to each member of the board to read and study. The items are considered routine and will be enacted on by one motion by the commissioners with no separate discussion. If a separate discussion is desired, then that item may be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda by request. Items discussed during the Citizen Comment Period shall be limited only to issues not otherwise on the agenda or scheduled discussion topics.