More comprehensive
The Okanogan County commissioners took an important step toward calming the political waters with their recent decision to review the updated comprehensive plan that the previous board of commissioners approved in 2014.
That previous board — made up of Ray Campbell, Sheilah Kennedy and Jim DeTro — adopted a plan update that had been in the works for eight years, and it was immediately controversial. The plan has been the target of lawsuits since then.
In 2016, Campbell and Kennedy were voted out of office, replaced by Chris Branch and Andy Hover. The two new commissioners and DeTro have agreed to consider the plan to see what revisions might be necessary.
Any changes that might be suggested would be the subject of public discussion and hearings. The commissioners have set a two-year timeline for possible revisions.
The comp plan hasn’t been completely updated since 1964, which was one reason it took so long to review and revamp.
It’s been a long trudge of a process, in part because it’s complicated and part because the previous commissioners seemed determined to put an ideological stamp on the document. The new group seems more interested in what’s workable and logical for the county’s long-term growth and development, and for that of sub-areas like the Methow Valley.
A big issue in last November’s races for the two county commissioner positions that were on the ballot was the number of lawsuits generated by county actions in recent years. Many county residents said the commissioners could have avoided some of the lawsuits by being less stubborn and confrontational — or simply by paying more attention to their constituents.
Hover and Branch campaigned on promises to listen more closely to county residents, and they seem to be delivering on that pledge. One lawsuit against the comp plan has already been dropped.
There are sure to be disagreements going forward. But at least now we can hope for a more open discussion, and transparent process, in finalizing perhaps the most important action the commissioners will take during their tenures.
Watcha gonna do?
Maybe it’s not cause for singing the theme song from “Cops,” the popular reality TV show, but at least Winthrop will have some law enforcement presence for the next three months. Under an agreement approved last week, the Twisp Police Department will also provide law enforcement services for Winthrop. Twisp has a competent crew of officers who can be counted on to react and respond as needed.
But that’s still not a solution for Winthrop’s policing problems in the long term, and not entirely in the short term. A close reading of the contract provides that “law enforcement services will be generally enforced on a shift basis, seven days a week, 10 hours per day, split between Twisp and Winthrop as case load may indicate.”
In other words, in the best of contracted circumstances, Winthrop is still without guaranteed response for more than half of each day. Under an existing mutual services policy, Twisp or the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office might respond — as they can. And the officers’ time will still be split between the two towns as the demands dictate.
At that, 70 hours a week compares favorably to the 40 hours a week (plus appropriate overtime) that Winthrop was getting from its one police officer, Marshal Hal Henning, before he was fired in February. Winthrop’s town budget includes funding for two full-time officers; Twisp now has three full-time officers.
The interim service agreement is good for three months. After that — who knows? Winthrop’s recent track record isn’t encouraging when it comes to filling Marshal’s Office vacancies. It remains to be seen how well the contract will work for both towns.
The timing seems right, and officials in both towns seem cautiously amenable, to once again discuss a merger of the two departments — which raises some practical questions. Should Winthrop go ahead and hire a marshal and deputy, who if history is any indicator won’t like the merger idea because of managerial “turf” issues, or wait until the merger talks are farther along?
It’s a bigger issue for Winthrop, where many residents see a merger as giving up their department and ceding control to the bigger town up the road. All five Winthrop council seats and the mayor’s position are on the November general election ballot. Expect the merger idea to be a campaign topic.
