Oanogan County Commissioners Waste Time on Trivial Matters, Again

The Okanogan County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, to discuss a variety of topics, including the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the county’s response to the recent wildfires, and a new contract with the county’s waste management company.

However, the meeting quickly devolved into a series of petty squabbles and pointless discussions. The commissioners spent more time arguing about the color of the county seal than they did discussing the budget. They also spent an inordinate amount of time debating whether or not to allow chickens in the county.

But perhaps the most egregious example of the commissioners’ wastefulness came when they discussed the need for a vehicle to transport important information to the Justice Building from the Courthouse.

Susan Speiker, the county clerk, explained that the clerk’s office is responsible for all court exhibits. This includes everything from evidence in criminal trials to documents in civil cases. Some of these exhibits are hazardous materials, and Speiker expressed concern about the safety of her staff and the public if they were to be transported in personal vehicles.

The commissioners were sympathetic to Speiker’s concerns, but they were also hesitant to spend money on a new vehicle. They suggested that Speiker could use a locked box in a county vehicle, or that she could coordinate with the sheriff’s office to use one of their vehicles.

Speiker was not satisfied with these suggestions. She argued that a locked box would not be secure enough for hazardous materials, and that coordinating with the sheriff’s office would be too time-consuming.

In the end, the commissioners thanked the clerk for coming in and enlightening them to what goes on in the Clerks Office. However, it took them nearly two hours to reach not making a decision, and they spent most of that time arguing about trivial matters.

This is just one example of the Okanogan County Board of Commissioners’ wastefulness. In the past year, they have spent taxpayer money on a variety of frivolous items, including a new sign for the courthouse, a new set of golf clubs for the county administrator, and a $10,000 study on the feasibility of building a new jail.

It is time for the Okanogan County Board of Commissioners to start taking their jobs seriously. They need to focus on the important issues facing the county, and they need to stop wasting taxpayer money on trivial matters.