Cowlitz County Commissioners 's livestream

The Cowlitz County Commissioners’ Tuesday facilities and Public Works workshop on October 20, 2026, focused on building energy requirements, facilities budgets, capital needs, and space use. Staff reported that consultant Apollo’s investment-grade audit found the county administration building’s energy-use intensity well above the state target. Proposed HVAC, window, and lighting improvements could cost millions of dollars and, according to the audit, would not achieve the target or pay back for roughly 108–110 years. The audit was grant-funded; staff plans to explore state compliance exemptions and more cost-effective efficiency measures. No contract award or procurement vote was reported.

Staff reviewed a reduced five-year capital plan, including major juvenile and jail roof replacements, juvenile HVAC controls, and $1.1 million set aside for the exterior façade project, with anticipated state grant funding and an estimated county match of about $350,000. The juvenile facility’s listed HVAC and roof work totals nearly $7 million through 2031, though staff emphasized that this is not a complete deferred-maintenance inventory. Commissioners discussed relocating WSU staff to the county-owned annex, moving therapeutic courts into the Hall of Justice subject to coordination with Superior Court, and possible leasing or disposition of other properties. These were discussions and proposed next steps, not formal spending approvals; staff also noted reduced general-fund revenue and a $1 million reduction.