The Courthouse Journal A Joint Publication of the Washington State Association of Counties & Washington Association of County Officials August 4, 2000 Number 16 WACO BOARD NOMINATION OPEN Thurston County Clerk Betty Gould, chair of the WACO Nominating Committee, has announced that interested county officials have until September 11 to declare their candidacy for three positions on the Board of Trustees of the Washington Association of County Officials. Any county official is eligible to run for WACO Secretary/Treasurer or Trustee for their county class. Tradition is that the officers move up through the chairs so usually only the Secretary/Treasurer is contested among the officers. Travel expenses for WACO officers and board members are paid by WACO. This ensures that any county official can serve without placing undue burdens on county budgets. The election of officers and trustees-at-large will be held at the WACO Annual Conference in Kennewick October 2 - 6. The positions subject to election this year are: President; President-elect; Vice President; Secretary/Treasurer; trustee-at-large position #2, representing counties with populations from 125,000 to 500,000; and, position #4, representing counties with populations from 12,000 to 40,000. The slate of candidates will be presented at the Conference General Session on Wednesday, October 4. The polls will be open from Wednesday afternoon through lunch on Thursday. The WACO Bylaws prohibit voting by proxy. Interested county officials are urged to send a letter of intention to Chair Betty Gould, other members of the Nominating Committee, and WACO by September 11. ************************************** COUNTIES COMPLETE HECTIC FILING WEEK County auditors' offices were doing a booming business last week accepting filings for local candidates who will appear on the September 19 primary election ballot. Because of the volume of candidates running for county commission, council, executive and separately-elected positions, they are compiled in a table attached to this Courthouse Journal. This table reflects filing information reported to WSAC as of 4 p.m. Thursday, August 3 - the deadline for the courthouse journal. Candidates had until August 3 to withdraw from a race, and Friday, August 4 was the last day for major political parties to file for any remaining vacancies. Next week's Journal will reflect any activity that occurred or was reported after our deadline. Aside from the volume of filings, there are several other items of note about this primary. Two incumbents - Dan Wood of Grays Harbor County and David Nelson of Wahkiakum County-- are recently appointed. Two counties - Clark and Kitsap -- have home-rule charter votes on the ballot. Twelve incumbents are not running: James Nelson of Columbia County, Dick Dixon of Grays Harbor County, Dan Harpole of Jefferson County, John Bolender of Mason County, Ed Thiele of Okanogan County, Karl McKenzie of Pend Oreille County, Doug Sutherland, Sarah Casada, Ken Madsen and Barbara Gelman of Pierce County, Judy Wilson of Thurston County, Nora Mae Keiba of Whitman County, and Bettie Ingham of Yakima County. And in Pierce County, due to term limits, several of those not running for their current seats are running for other offices, both within and outside the county. John Ladenburg, the current prosecuting attorney and Jan Shabro a current councilmember are both running for executive. Councilmember Ken Madsen is not running for council but has filed for the assessor/treasurer position, which is now held by Barbara Gelman who filed for a council seat. Current Pierce County Executive Doug Sutherland is running for state Commissioner of Public Lands. Pierce Councilmember Sarah Casada has filed for state representative. And not to be outdone by Pierce County, Whatcom County Councilmember Bob Imhof is running for state representative. ************************************** CITIES AND COUNTIES TO HOLD JOINT LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION IN 2001 For the first time ever, the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), and the Washington Association of County Officials (WACO) will sponsor a joint "Washington Cities and Counties Legislative Reception." The reception will be held on the evening of February 14, 2001, at Saint Martin's Pavilion. The pavilion is being used because it is the only facility in the Olympia area that is large enough to accommodate the number of locally elected officials and legislators anticipated to be in attendance. We expect there will be over 400 city and county officials and over 100 legislators will be in attendance as well. This reception will be in conjunction with other meetings being scheduled for members of AWC, as well as meetings and programs put together for WSAC members and individual meetings of several of the WACO affiliates. Meeting plans are underway for the Assessors, Auditors, Clerks, and Treasurers. In addition, WSAC will hold a legislative Steering Committee and Board of Directors Meeting. We encourage all WACO and WSAC members to mark this date on your 2001 calendars and to make every effort to come to Olympia to participate in this event along with other scheduled meetings. Later this year, we will be sending detailed information out to all county officials so that you will have plenty of time to make reservations. We will include agendas of the meetings of interest to you to be held that week. AWC, WSAC and WACO will also send invitations to legislators once the November elections are certified, so this event will be on their calendars. At that time, we will ask each of you to send follow up correspondence to your Representatives and Senators urging their attendance as well. Since we have never before had a function as large as this, suggestions for how we can make this event most enjoyable are certainly welcome. ************************************** I-722 RAISES MANY QUESTIONS - FEW ANSWERS (BY FRED SAEGER, WACO) This is the third in a series, pointing out some of the questions and issues that will be faced by county officials if I-722 passes a vote of the public in November. I-722 was certified to the November ballot this week by the Secretary of State's Office. I-722 includes many provisions, so I will discuss different aspects each week. A copy of I-722 was included in the mailing of The Courthouse Journal which was sent out on July 21. If you need another copy, you can contact the WACO office or get one directly from the Secretary of State's web site at . Also, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) has a preliminary analysis of the fiscal impacts of I-722 online at OFM expects to have a final set of impact statements by early September at the latest. If we assume that I-722 passes and is effective on December 7, 2000, and the 2000 levies for 2001 collections must comply with I-722 (discussed in two prior articles July 21 and July 28), probably the most troubling issues for the levy setting process this fall for collection in 2001 is a result of Section 1(1) which states, "Any tax increase adopted by the state from July 2, 1999, through December 31, 1999, is null and void and of no effect. All taxes collected as a result of such tax increases shall be refunded to that taxpayer." "State" is defined to include the State and "any city, county, special district, and other political subdivisions or government instrumentality of or within the State." "Tax" is defined to include "property taxes" and "tax increase" includes "...a monetary increase in an existing tax, a tax rate increase..." These are the same definitions used in I-695. Every taxpayer in the State of Washington at least had their property taxes increased by their share of the state's property tax levy, which was increased for new construction and the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD). The Department of Revenue felt that these were not "increases" under I-695 because such increases were merely an administrative or ministerial act as opposed to a legislative act. For counties, cities, and local taxing districts, the legislative body has to vote to take the IPD. In every county, several jurisdictions took increases in their levies over and above the previous year's amount. Some of that was for new construction, some for IPD adjustment, and some for a substantial need that took increases up to as high as 6%. Other jurisdictions, in fear of limitations being faced by I-695, also levied what they were able to under the "banking" law (RCW 84.55.092). If any of these increases are determined to be a "tax increase" under I- 722, then the increases are to be "null and void and of no effect." It's possible that the state levy increase would not be a "tax increase," but local levy increases more likely are. Wouldn't that mean the 2000 base (total taxes to be collected) upon which the 2001 levies will be calculated would have to be reduced? The first question to be faced by assessors before calculating 2001 levies is, what is the correct 2000 base amount upon which the 2001 levies will be calculated? Will those 2000 levy amounts have to be reduced prior to this calculation in order to comply with this new provision of I-722? If the language said such increases are just "null & void," you could argue that no recalculation would be necessary but I-722 also says "and of no effect." The only way there will be "no effect" is to recalculate the 2000 levies before starting to do the 2001 calculations. For treasurers, read the second sentence of the Section 1(1) again, "All taxes collected as a result of such tax increases shall be refunded to the taxpayer." If the State of Washington increase of the IPD or new construction is a "tax increase," every taxpayer in the state would be entitled to a "2000 Property Tax Refund" check. If any of the local increases that are described above are determined to be "tax increases," every person who paid those increases is also entitled to a refund of that amount of the local tax. I hope I am wrong! County treasurers may find that there is some protection in the state constitution that would override this retroactive application. In Yakima v. Huza, 67 Wn.2d 351, there is some wording of interest. [2] Constitutional Law-Taxation-Return of Tax Money. Tax money validly collected cannot be returned to private persons simply because of a retroactive repeal of the taxing statute, since such action would constitute a gift of public money or credit as prohibited by Const. Art. 8 5 and 7; and, for purposes of applying this article, a credit given on a tax already collected, would amount in effect to return of the tax. Pg. 351 The footnote to that sentence cites the case of Utz v. Newport, 252 S.W.2d 434 (Ky. 1952), where, in a case similar to the instant case, it was held that the municipal legislative body may not authorize the return of a tax which was validly collected. We agree with the statement by that court. The Washington state constitutional provisions which prohibit making a gift of public money or credit, Art. 8, 5 and 7, are both applicable to this situation, and prohibit such a refund as provided for in this initiative ordinance. The situation might well be treated differently if there were any question about the validity of ordinances No. 300 and No. 308, or if some duty existed on the part of the city to refund part of the taxes. Respondent has not challenged the validity of the ordinances, nor has he claimed that that city has any duty to return the increased taxes collected under the ordinances. See State ex rel. Larson v. Giessel 266 Wis. 547, 64 N.W.2d 421 (1954). The precise limits of the application of this rule we do not decide. We are holding only that, where a tax ordinance has been previously validly enacted, it cannot be repealed retroactively, and the tax money heretofore collected validly cannot be refunded simply on the basis of the retroactive repeal. Pg. 359 Conclusion: Even if county assessors immediately implement I-722 on December 7, 2000, and correctly calculate the 2001 levies and the 2001 tax bills total correctly, treasurers must still face the possibility of a statewide property tax refund of any "tax increases" made last fall-if I- 722 passes and is upheld by the courts. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions on I-722 will be appreciated and I will be more than happy to share thoughts and suggestions with readers of The Courthouse Journal in future weeks. I can be reached at the following numbers: phone 360-753-7319; fax/360-664- 2812; or e-mail at . Note: The purpose of these articles over the next several weeks is to stimulate discussion on the potential impacts of I-722 and get county officials to start thinking about how these issues might be dealt with. No one should take these articles as being hard and fast conclusions, just the thoughts of an individual who has spent a lot of time working on property tax issues. ************************************** PUBLIC WORKS BOARD CONSIDERING CONSTRUCTION LOAN APPLICATIONS The state Public Works Board (PWB) met Tuesday, August 1 at SeaTac and reviewed the preliminary list of local projects that applied for Public Works Trust Fund construction loans for 2001. The list of 115 loan applications is ranked based on points awarded for both need and local effort. The scores range from a high of 94 to a low of 35, and based on the funds available (approximately $173 million) the Board voted to consider funding projects with scores of 67 or above. The final list of funded projects will be announced at the next PWB meeting on Tuesday, August 15. County applications constituted only 9 percent of the total, with city applications constituting 54 percent. Thirty-seven percent were sewer/water district applications. While county applications were few in number they tended to rank high. Applicants also completed a survey in which they expressed support for expanding the types of projects eligible for the PWB loans, with strongest support for adding "public facilities." In other business the board approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with several federal and state agencies to improve coordination of environmental reviews for PWB programs and other infrastructure-financing programs managed by the federal or state government. Participating agencies are the PWB, the State Department of Ecology,, State Office of Community Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. The MOU will align the environmental review process for water and water- pollution-control projects, promote selection of the most affordable and cost-effective projects, and encourage all programs to provide information to clients about other infrastructure programs. The MOU requires periodic review of progress made on these matters. The MOU is the culmination of years of work to jointly improve service without having to involve the U.S. Congress or state Legislature. The Attorney General's office has reviewed and approved the MOU. Representing counties on the board are Commissioner Nora Mae Keifer of Whitman County and Commissioner Charlotte Garrido of Kitsap County. ************************************** TRANSPORTATION ************************************** WSDOT SEEKS COUNTY REP FOR TRANSPORTATION PERMIT STREAMLINING TASK FORCE Following the requirements of HB 3076, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has asked WSAC to appoint a county commissioner or councilmember to participate in a task force that will review the applicability of existing transportation certification programs to the environmental permit streamlining process. PLEASE SUBMIT NAMES OF WSAC NOMINEES TO WSAC STAFF SOPHIA BYRD NO LATER THAN AUGUST 10. Other task force members will include representatives of cities, WSDOT, and the Washington State departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife. The task force will produce a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2000. The task force and the legislation creating it grew out of the recently signed Northwest Cooperative Agreement on Environmental Streamlining and Interagency Cooperation on Environmental and Transportation Issues. This 34-agency, three-state effort outlines opportunities for mutual cooperation in permit streamlining. A key element of the Agreement was to pursue "programmatic approaches and certification of state programs based on performance audits" as a way to streamline permitting processes. The 2000 Legislature recognized the importance of this effort by unanimously passing HB 3076 to continue the streamlining review on a state and local level. The federal Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA 21) requires all federal transportation and resource agencies to promote efforts to coordinate and streamline environmental review processes. ************************************** GOOD THINGS ************************************** "VOTING IS COOL" Pierce County Auditor Cathy Pearsall-Stipek has implemented a youth voting program in Pierce County that has at least 900 classrooms participating in the program this fall. 13 out of the 15 public school districts in Pierce County will be participating in the program and 31 private schools have also been invited to participate. All elected officials within Pierce county will be invited to visit a classroom so that students can have an opportunity to talk to an elected official in person. The Pierce County Council passed a proclamation declaring October 30 through November 3 as Youth Voting Awareness Week in Pierce County. Pearsall-Stipek feels "it is the responsibility of the community, the educators, the government, and the families of youth to educate our future voters." ************************************** ENVIRONMENT, LAND USE & RESOURCES ************************************** SUPREME COURT REVERSES TWO GROWTH BOARD DECISIONS ON INTERIM URBAN GROWTH AREAS Last month, in two separate decisions issued on July 20, the Washington Supreme Court reversed Growth Management Hearings Board decisions prohibiting proposed developments outside of interim urban growth areas. In Association of Rural Residents v. Kitsap County the Court painstakingly reviewed the record and timing of events to hold that the former Kitsap County zoning ordinances - and not the expired and deficient Interim Urban Growth Area boundary - was the proper land use regulation to apply to the development proposal. In Wenatchee Sportsmen Association v. Chelan County, the Court essentially ignored the fact that the proposed development was outside the Interim Urban Growth Area by holding that the plaintiffs should have objected to the project by filing a Land Use Petition Act (LUPA) challenge to the rezone decision in Superior Court, rather than an appeal to the Growth Board. In reaching this decision, the Court concludes that "a site-specific rezone is not a development regulation under the GMA," and therefore the Boards are without jurisdiction to hear a challenge to such a rezone - even if the rezone is contrary to the GMA comprehensive plan. The decisions continue a pattern of the Supreme Court taking a "hard look" at Growth Board decisions, often reversing the Boards and deferring to the local decision. In both cases, the Court remands SEPA determinations to the trial court. ************************************** LAW & JUSTICE ************************************** THINKING "OUT OF THE BOX" GETS JAIL INTO THE PARK (BY JILL WILL, JAIL INDUSTRIES BOARD) Thank I-695 for forcing a fresh look at long term budget problems, a jail bulging at the seams, or maybe just the entrepreneurial spirit displaced by Chelan County commissioners, sheriff and jail staff. Whatever the reason, an innovative park/corrections partnership will be paying off for Chelan County taxpayers. Citizens have a well-maintained and well-staffed riverside park and campground again- one that had been closed due to budget shortfalls. Female offenders get a chance to build job skills and work ethics while cutting operating costs at the facility. The jail gains eight beds that can be rented to other jurisdictions for positive cash flow, reducing the overall cost of corrections for the county. A Wenatchee World story details how non-violent female offenders under the supervision of jail staff will maintain and operate Wenatchee River County Park. The women will be housed on-site and learn how to take charge of their own lives while they are taking care of the campground. As counties struggle with shrinking budgets and ballooning inmate populations, they may want to take a closer look at Chelan County's example. The Sheriff and his staff put together a solid business proposal that saves tax money, provides public services that otherwise could not be afforded, and opens up new opportunities for offenders to make positive changes. Commissioners took a look at the numbers and made a good business decision. Citizens supported the idea because it makes good fiscal sense without compromising public safety. One park and eight jail beds are no substitute for a long-term solution to local criminal justice funding, but every innovative, cost saving idea counts. See the story attached to the Courthouse Journal. Call Jill Will at 360-586-1534 for more information. ************************************** BOARDS & COMMISSIONS ************************************** JEFFERSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell was recently appointed by Governor Gary Locke to serve on the state Juvenile Justice Advisory Board. The committee oversees implementation of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which provides funds to states to improve their juvenile justice systems. ************************************** MEETINGS & CONFERENCES ************************************** PESTICIDE EDUCATION Washington State University is sponsoring a conference on Home and Garden Pesticide Issues and Education. This conference will present information to assist educators, regulators, public works professionals and others who work with people who use pesticides in their homes, yards, or gardens. The public is using pesticides and it is necessary to mitigate the risk. Education is the key to risk mitigation, whether the risk is to humans, domestic animals, or the environment, including water quality. In order to provide proper advice, develop public policy, or simply to be-informed, it is important to understand the underlying concerns about home and garden pesticide use and some of the educational and regulatory efforts underway to mitigate risk. If you would like more information and have access to the Internet, visit . If you would like a brochure contact Carol Ramsay (509-335-9222, ramsay@wsu.edu), Carrie Foss (253-445-4577, cfoss@wsu.edu) or Cheryl Hill (509-335-2830,hillcr@wsu.edu) ************************************** WETLAND MITIGATION BANKING RULE WORKSHOPS The Department of Ecology is sponsoring four workshops in Eastern Washington on wetland banking and the proposed wetland mitigation banking rule in August. The first two workshops will be held in Yakima on August 23rd in the auditorium at the Central Regional office for Ecology. The second two workshops will take place in the Auditorium at the Dept. of Ecology Eastern Regional Office in Spokane on August 24th. The workshops are informal public information workshops and are not the formal hearings on the proposed draft rule required during the rule adoption process. The formal hearings and public comment period are anticipated to occur during October 2000 after the new draft rule has been filed for adoption. In 1998 the legislature directed Ecology in Chapter 90.84 RCW, Wetlands Mitigation Banking, to develop rules for wetland banks. Ecology has been working with a stakeholder advisory team on the development of a negotiated rule for a wetland bank certification program (Chapter 173-700 WAC). This new rule is scheduled to be filed for adoption early this fall. The purpose of these workshops is to provide information to local governments and the general public on the concept of wetland banking and to solicit comments on the proposed draft rule prior to filing for adoption. At its most basic definition, mitigation banking involves the restoration, creation, enhancement or preservation of wetlands to generate credits. Credits can then be used by the bank provider, or sold to another party, to offset unavoidable impacts to wetlands that have occurred at other locations. Thus, wetland mitigation banks typically result in the consolidation of many small mitigation projects with a larger, potentially more ecologically valuable site. Mitigation banks have the potential to significantly improve the practice of replacing wetlands lost to development. Mitigation banking also has the potential to increase ecological benefits and improve efficiencies in wetland permitting processes. Local governments will have a critical role in the bank certification process, as a bank will be required to have approvals on both the state and local level in order to be certified. Banks can be used by local jurisdictions to implement and meet land-use and watershed management plans and goals. The workshops will open with a presentation on wetland mitigation banking including the basic concepts and terminology of a wetland-banking program. The second presentation will outline the elements of the wetland bank certification process and the technical requirements in the proposed draft rule. This presentation will be followed by an informal question and answer period where participants can ask questions of Ecology staff. Ecology hopes that participants will provide suggestions for improving the rule and assist us in ensuring that the proposed rule will work in your local areas. To best accommodate local government officials and the general public, each day will consist of two separate but identical workshops. The first workshop will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. with the second running from 6 to 8:30 p.m. A pre-filing draft of the proposed rule will be available in early August for review. Copies of the draft rule will be provided at the workshops. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the proposed draft prior to the workshop you can contact Lauren Driscoll at (360) 407-6861 or at email ldri461@ecy.wa.gov. For additional information on the rule development project and general information on wetland banking, please visit our web site at www.wa.gov/ecology/sea/wetmitig/index.html . The web site also contains a downloadable version of the enclosed workshop flyer. Please feel free to contact Lauren if you have any questions or need additional information on the proposed workshops and draft rule. Ecology is an equal opportunity agency. If you have special accommodation needs, contact Mary Lynum at (360) 407-6908 (Voice), e-mail mlyn461@ecy.wa.gov , or (360) 407-6006 (TDD). ************************************** LEARN ABOUT NEW CORPS NATIONWIDE PERMITS The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District, is offering a training class for modified and new nationwide permits. The class reviews Biological Evaluation/Assessments, Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements and state mitigation policy. It has been reported that attendees should have a familiarity with nationwide permits, processes and Biological Evaluation/Assessments for the class to be worthwhile. A USACE permit is required for activities within the Corps' jurisdiction (projects disturbing more than « acre of wetlands or located within the 100- year floodplain). A wide range of activities require a permit, including installation of boat lifts, intake/outfall pipes, bulkheads, buoys, etc., as well as dredging in navigable waters and the discharge of dredged or fill material into water or wetlands. Nationwide permit requirements have been tightened because of new ESA listings for aquatic species. Section 7 of the ESA requires federal agencies to ensure that any action authorized by that agency is not likely to jeopardize listed species or destroy/adversely modify the habitat of listed species. Under the USACE Federal permit program, permit applications must be reviewed for the potential impact on threatened and endangered species pursuant to Section 7. The USACE, through consultation with FWS and NMFS, will evaluate Biological Evaluation/Assessments to assess project impacts on proposed species and proposed critical habitat. The USACE's Nationwide Permit Program and ESA requirements class will be August 8, 2000 from 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m. at the Seattle District Corps of Engineers Galaxy Room,4735 East Marginal Way in Seattle. Unfortunately, Eastern Washington classes have already taken place. No registration is required; attendance is on a space-available basis. For more information please visit www.nws.usace.army.mil/reg/reg.htm. Sandy Gurkewitz, King County's lead staff on Section 7 of the ESA, attended a recent training class and is willing to answer questions about the class content. Her email address is sandy.gurkewitz@metrokc.gov. For specific questions about nationwide permits, contact USACE. ************************************** COURTHOUSE RAMBLINGS ************************************** Tom Reeves, the real estate excise tax (REET) program coordinator with the Department of Revenue for over 20 years, retired last month. His duties as REET program coordinator have been taken over by Teresa Hansen. Tom's old telephone number has been "retired" as well, so if you have questions and inquires please contact Linda Smith at (360) 664-2201. ****** On Tuesday this week the Wahkiakum County Commissioners appointed David Nelson to fill the vacancy created by the untimely death of Commissioner Dick Marsyla in June. Nelson was one of three names submitted to the Board and he has filed to run for the permanent position. Commissioner Marsyla had planned on retiring after his term this year so Nelson will be running for the remainder of this year and the full term. Nelson is a realtor and has fished commercially in Alaska. He has also owned a small business. ************************************** JOBS ************************************** ADMINISTRATOR OF A REGIONAL SUPPORT NETWORK managed care organization serving Adams, Grant and Okanogan counties. Supervise contracts for outpatient, inpatient an residential public mental health services. Office located in East Wenatchee. Clinical or administration Masters degree required. Five years of public mental health management experience required. Salary range $45,410 to $59,336 DOQ. Send r‚sum‚ and three references c/o Human Resources, PO Box 37, Ephrata, WA 98823. Open until filled. Equal Opportunity Employer. ****** ACCOUNTANT FOR MASON COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS - $3,334 - $3,956/month. Reports directly to the Public Works Director, performs all activities in the areas of cost accounting and analysis, budgeting, payroll, statistical compilation and other assigned accounting functions. Minimum requirements: Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field and two years of progressively responsible professional experience in governmental cost accounting, budgeting, grant accounting and payroll; basic data processing and data base accounting applications (preferably with Excel and IBM AS 400). Combination of education and experience will be considered. Closes 8/25/00 at 5 p.m. Application required and available at Mason County Human Resources, 411 North Fifth Street, Shelton, WA 98584, or call (360) 427-7265. ****** COUNTY ENGINEER, ASOTIN COUNTY, WA - Population 20,000, Asotin County is located along the banks of the Snake River in SE Washington, bordered by Idaho and Oregon. This position plans, organizes, directs and implements activities in the Public Works Department that includes Road, Solid Waste and Sewer Divisions. Responsible for the establishment, design, construction, alteration and improvements of county roads and bridges as required by law. Requirements include a BS in Civil Engineering or related field and Registration as a Professional Civil Engineer in the State of Washington or ability to obtain upon hire; three (3) years of progressively responsible managerial experience; professional engineering work involving the design, construction or maintenance of roads. Salary range $54,000 - $63,000, DOQ. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on 8/31/00. An application form and r‚sum‚ is required. To obtain a complete job description and application contact Asotin County Human Resources, P.O. Box 250, Asotin, WA 99402, (509) 243-2060. Asotin County is an Equal Opportunity Employer, complies with ADA, and is a Drug Free Workplace. ****** HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. WHATCOM COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, Bellingham, WA, seeks an Assistant Director to fill a new position created to develop and oversee the integration of internal services, such as financial services, facilities, information technology, fleet, general reception, records management, employment processes, safety programs, employee and labor relations, union negotiations, and public information. Acts on behalf of the Director, as assigned. This position requires a Master's degree in accounting, finance, business, public administration, public health or a closely related field AND five years of progressively responsible experience in financial management, budgeting, records management, grant administration and database design, integration and maintenance INCLUDING 3 years of management/supervisory experience OR and equivalent combination of education, training & experience that provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities. Certification as a CPA is preferred. Hiring range: $55,092 - $61,884 / year, DOQ. Application period closes 8/31/00. For required application contact Whatcom County Human Resources, 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 107, Bellingham, WA, or call (360) 676-6802. For detailed job announcement visit our website at www.co.whatcom.wa.us or call the jobline at (360) 738-4550. Equal Opportunity Employer ****** INTERNAL/EXTERNAL AUDITOR- SPOKANE, WA Spokane County Community Services & Housing and Community Development departments seeking highly qualified individual to serve as internal auditor, monitoring financial records of 100+ private contractors for substance abuse treatment & prevention, dev disabilities, mental health treatment services, housing and community development block grant programs; ensure compliance with federal and state funding sources and develop controls to ensure accountability; req. BA + 4 yrs. exp. in professional auditing; prefer exp. working with federal and state funding guidelines and CPA, CIA, CFI, CA or similar certification; $3270- $4413/month + exc benefits; closes 8/21/00, 5pm. For complete description and application materials, please contact Spokane County Human Resources at (509) 477-5750, TDD, or email request to hkvokov@spokanecounty.org. Equal Opportunity Employer ****** TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT MANAGER, SPOKANE, WA Outstanding opportunity for professional to develop, market, administer and manage TDM programs, in accordance with Spokane County's CTR Plan and Ordinance; req. 4 yrs. progressively responsible related experience or related BA/BS; experience must include 1 year supervisory; prefer strong leadership, communication, strategic planning, grant management and organization skills and State CTR Trainer cert.; $3034- $4094/month + exc. benefits; closes 8/21/00, 5pm. For complete description and application materials, please contact Spokane County Human Resources at (509) 477-5750, TDD, or email request to hkvokov@spokanecounty.org. Equal Opportunity Employer ****** SAFETY OFFICER/INVESTIGATOR, SPOKANE, WA Newly established position will ensure compliance with County, State and Federal regulations regarding safety, health, environment, etc. as they relate to the Spokane County Public Works Dept; program, policy and procedure development; in-depth accident investigation; req. 3 years related educ/exp.; $2746- $3705/month + exc. benefits; closes 8/21/00, 5pm. For complete description and application materials, please contact Spokane County Human Resources at (509) 477-5750, TDD, or email request to hkvokov@spokanecounty.org. Equal Opportunity Employer **** END ****