Public hearing set on $150,000 in funding for Clallam EDC
Published 12:01 am Wednesday, March 4, 2015
PORT ANGELES — Among the quarterly budget emergencies that Clallam County commissioners will consider this month is a payment of up to $150,000 to the Clallam County Economic Development Council.
Commissioners Jim McEntire and Bill Peach voted Tuesday to call for a March 24 hearing on a set of debatable budget emergencies.
The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Room 160 at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St.
Commissioner Mike Chapman voted no on the call for hearing.
Chapman has been a vocal critic of a McEntire-led effort to use county funds to pay for EDC personnel.
The $150,000-maximum payment for this year would come from the county’s general fund for day-to-day operations.
The proposed use of the sales-tax-supported Opportunity Fund is being challenged. Ron Richards, a former county commissioner, has filed a petition asking that the proposal be put to a public vote and also has asked for a court injunction against it.
McEntire has suggested subsequent payments of $200,000 in 2016 and $150,000 in 2017 as an experiment to revitalize the EDC.
If the private nonprofit organizations fails to meet certain goals with the addition of two full-time staffers, McEntire has said he would vote to pull the plug on the funding.
