Cowlitz County Commissioner Open Public Meetings

At the Cowlitz County Commissioners’ open public meeting on October 27, 2026, staff previewed items for the following day’s agenda; the transcript records no procurement votes or contract approvals. Public Works described a supplement to the local agency agreement for the Allander Road bridge replacement to cover third-party construction inspection costs, and a change order for quarry spalls around a pump station on the Dyke Road project. The Dyke Road project’s total cost was reported as about $3.6 million. County Road Project No. 818 was also listed for action, though the transcript provides few details. IT requested $1,411,441 from IT reserves to replace aging, out-of-warranty servers; the director said negotiations reduced the cost by $100,000 and staff training by $7,000. IT also presented renewals for Cisco Duo and Veronus, including a three-year Veronus renewal stated as $366,375; the transcript’s additional annual-cost figure is unclear.

Health and Human Services previewed an interlocal agreement with Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department for the food-handler-card testing system and service contracts funded by the Consolidated Homeless Grant. The contracts reimburse providers for services; Family Promise’s contract was described as new, while other coordinated-entry contracts were generally status quo. Commissioners discussed adding client follow-up to audit practices and consistency among service providers, but no change was decided. Staff also previewed a resolution and public application process to appoint a member to Castle Rock Cemetery District No. 1 after two resignations. After executive session, commissioners reported that no decisions had been made. A separate discussion concerned seeking support from other counties and potentially funding lobbying related to fish-and-game issues; no funding action was taken.