There's a hole in the budget, dear Liza

Citizen finds $370k contract that County was unaware of

“I don’t think we pay them, is what we’re saying,” — Commissioner Mike French commenting on the Cascadia Consulting Group

Another payment, this time over $20,000, will be made this week to a company that the commissioners had no idea was contracted with the County.

The recent public budget meeting at the courthouse was unique for many reasons:

1. It was the first public budget meeting to offer free entry. Port Angeles had a mandatory $30 fee, and Sequim’s was lowered to $10.

2. It was held in the evening, so working residents had a better chance of attending.

3. For the first time since the People’s Forum in April, which Commissioner Ozias opted not to attend, the meeting allowed for two-way dialogue — attendees could ask questions and receive answers from County leaders.

The meeting began with an overview of how the County has reduced next year’s deficit from over $4 million to $477,000. This has been done by cutting the jobs of working employees while keeping unfilled positions in the budget. The commissioners’ balancing act also proposes raising fees and imagining additional revenue streams like grants. The presentation was polished, rehearsed, and smooth, but left out key embarrassing items… until public comment.

The trust deficit

One resident was concerned that converting properties into tribal trust land would defund public services because the parcels no longer pay property tax.

“The Department of Interior sends a letter to the commissioners with a 30-day comment period before those tribal trust lands are considered for conversion by the US government,” said the resident. He asked if the commissioners had ever responded to the US government to explain the impact those property conversions had on such an economically depressed County.

Administrator Mielke recalled his experience serving as a Spokane County Commissioner. He had submitted several letters to the Department of Interior explaining how transfers of Kalispell and Spokane tribal land had affected the government there. “I never felt I was engaged in a mutual dialogue with the Department of Interior,” said Mielke. “It didn’t get much traction.” He then shared multiple positive outcomes his letters had accomplished.

“Have you sent a response to the Department of Interior?” the resident asked the commissioners again.

“Not to the most recent letter,” responded Commissioner Ozias.

“Have you ever?” asked the resident.

After a pause, Ozias, who has served nearly nine years, answered, “I don’t recall.”

The day after the public meeting, the Commissioners received notice that the Department of the Interior had approved another 84.14 acres of land into trust. Not only does this remove the property from the tax rolls (not much tax income from this parcel since it is tideland), but it also means county and state zoning laws no longer apply. Essentially, these conversions take a parcel from Clallam County and convert that property into a different country. Without county and state zoning laws that most of residents must abide by, warehouses can be built in rural neighborhoods, and wetlands can become golf courses.

In a follow-up comment, the resident said, “But the commissioners did spend two weeks drafting a letter of apology, on behalf of Clallam County residents, to the Jamestown Tribe… If Department of Interior letters are pointless, what did we get out of that letter?”

“I believe that letter was sent because we never responded to their original letter,” said Commissioner French. “So, I think that was the spirit of the apology.”

The Commissioners sent a letter of apology to the Jamestown Tribe on April 30th. The letter apologized for not responding to letters dated October 10th, 2023, requesting that Towne Road remain closed and to a letter dated January 30th, 2024, in which the Tribe said it would give 5.1 acres to the County if they agreed to keep Towne Road closed.

However, on April 11th, Commissioner Ozias and DCD Director Bruce Emery privately met with the Tribe at their Blyn campus. On April 23rd, Commissioner French, Director Emery, Engineer Donisi, and Biologist Lear met privately again with the Tribe, this time virtually. So why didn’t the County apologize to the Tribe at either of those meetings instead of spending two weeks drafting a three-page letter that they sent on April 30th?

Regarding the property conversions defunding local government, Commissioner French said that the strategy has been to have direct relationships with the Tribes. “As an example, I believe we negotiated around an 8% increase in the Jamestown contribution to our Sheriff’s budget, which now, I believe, is going to be $300,000 for next year. So, they provide $300,000 of cash support to the Sheriff Department’s budget.”

A Sequim resident approached the podium. “I just want to clarify that this $300,000 that the Sherrif’s [department] is getting paid by the Tribe — that’s for services. It’s not a freebie. They provide services to the Tribe when the Tribe needs them, correct? They’re not giving a gift to the Sheriff’s department.”

“If you choose to see it that way,” replied French, leaving the gallery wondering, “How else could a payment for services be seen?”

The community crime map by LexisNexis shows the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department has responded to six incidents at the Tribe’s gas station, three at the marijuana dispensary, and 48 at the casino so far this year. Last year, the total was 83 incidents.

Cascadia surprising

John Worthington asked, “Can we get out of the Cascadia Group agreement, and what would it entail?” [Note: this is unrelated to “Cascadia Water,” a utility provider featured in Water Woes.]

Seattle-based Cascadia Consulting Group is “a small, disadvantaged, women-owned firm that provides sustainability solutions through community engagement, climate action, waste reduction, and more to foster a healthier environment.” Worthington is concerned that Cascadia uses a “Clear Path” tool developed by the ICLEI, a German nongovernmental organization (NGO) with ideologies seeking to “build and serve a worldwide movement.”

“I’m at a loss as to what that group [Cascadia] would be,” said Commissioner French. He explained that the County had reviewed all the organizations they pay just that morning, and Cascadia was not on the list.

“Cascadia does not ring a bell with me,” said CFO Mark Lane.

Administrator Todd Mielke said, “I’ve now been here for 14 months. I’m not aware of, at that time that I’ve been here, of us ever having a Cascadia contract before the Board for adoption.”

“I don’t think we pay them, is what we’re saying,” confirmed French. But that wasn’t true. The County had written a $64,000.48 check to Cascadia two weeks prior.

Commissioner Ozias was silent.

Deputy CFO Rebecca Turner did some digging in her computer while the County denied any ties to Cascadia. She gave the information to Administrator Mielke, who said, “First of all, Cascadia Group — they are currently contracted with the Department of Community Development. I believe it’s a multi-year contract. It certainly hasn’t come before the board in the last 14 months.”

But it had come before the Board just over eight months ago.

On February 5th this year, the County reviewed a contract with the Cascadia Consulting Group to “update the Hazard Mitigation Plan alongside the development of the Comprehensive Plan Climate Element.”

It's surprising that Commissioner Ozias remained silent while County leaders told Worthington he was wrong — the Cascadia Consulting Group accomplished a goal Ozias had tried to achieve years ago.

According to an article by Sue Forde, Clallam County was poised to join ICLEI in December 2019. This German-based nongovernmental organization promotes an ideology to “Undertake a collective effort for global change across all sectors and levels of government.” Clallam County withdrew its membership in 2011 after citizens objected because it “relinquishes control of our government to a global government.”

At the December 2nd work session in 2019, Commissioner Ozias pressured his fellow commissioners to rejoin ICLEI, but Commissioner Bill Peach was against it. He thought the organization was biased and wanted to research why the County had severed its relationship eight years prior. Ultimately, concerns from Commissioners Peach and Johnson prevented Clallam County from rejoining ICLEI in 2019.

But Ozias found a workaround.

This year, at the February 5th work session, when the commissioners were considering the Cascadia contract, Commissioner Johnson and Administrator Mielke were absent, leaving only Commissioners French and Ozias to make decisions. French asked a few questions of Cascadia employees who attended virtually, but Ozias asked several more, and the Cascadia contract was discussed for over 30 minutes. “How would we be engaging, or how would Cascadia be engaging, with our tribal government partners?” was one question asked by Ozias.

There’s another reason Commissioner Mark Ozias should remember the contract with Cascadia. The consultant partnered with the North Olympic Development Council (NODC), a nongovernmental organization led by its president, Mark Ozias. Cascadia and the NODC collaborated to issue a “Final Report” on Natural Disaster Resiliency Planning on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Two years ago, the report’s steering committee comprised tribal and county leaders. The report reviewed county documents to “guide the assessment of climate change integration into the planning documents reviewed.” In other words, the committee wanted to influence local governments’ comprehensive plans, which guide decisions regarding land use, transportation, public utilities, housing, economic development, and parks and recreation.

Although Commissioner Ozias said in March that "The North Olympic Development Council does not have anything to do with the Dungeness Off Channel Reservoir Project.  They're not a project partner and have no involvement in that project,” the NODC gave the reservoir project a “priority score” of 3.9 out of 5.

The report noted that the reservoir project “highlighted a critical need for continued and robust climate change integration.” It recommended that “jurisdictions must seize this opportunity to identify and prioritize projects that address the region’s most vulnerable assets, elements, and populations and prepare for implementation. The prioritized list of climate resilience projects and the momentum created throughout this process should be leveraged...”

The NODC also partnered with Cascadia to draft the “Final Report for the Habitat Strategic Initiative.” The NODC aimed to “develop local plans integrating and adapting recommendations… for at least four local governments” on the Olympic Peninsula. The NGO hoped to accomplish this through a “comprehensive plan integration.”

The Dungeness River Off-Channel Reservoir was listed under its first goal.

Under “Reduce regional transportation emissions in an equitable way,” an objective was identified: “Increase EV charging capacity and availability across the region.” The identified countywide strategy was “Charger deployment is planned for in Blyn and surrounding area.” Blyn, of course, is headquarters for the Jamestown Tribe, which funded 53% of Commissioner Ozias’ last campaign.

The report was authored by NODC Executive Director Karen Affeld and others.

This June, when Cascadia and the County were meeting to revise the comprehensive plan, many of the same authors of the NODC report were also on the County’s steering committee — the authors were Cascadia employees.

This is how policy is implemented in Clallam County:

First, Commissioner Mark Ozias approves taxpayer funds for consultants (like Cascadia) to collaborate with the nonprofit organization he leads (the NODC). This way, laws that promote government transparency are bypassed when an NGO and a private company work together.

Second, Cascadia and the NODC, led by President Mark Ozias, can draft the County’s comprehensive plan behind closed doors, potentially favoring special interests. For example, the “Natural Disaster Resiliency Report” suggested improving "communications in Blyn Basin by building a cellular tower and installing fiber internet.” Blyn is home to Ozias’ top campaign donor, the Jamestown Tribe.

Third, the NODC submits its report to the county, which is under contract with Cascadia, and Commissioner Mark Ozias can continue working with the consultant to approve the recommendations.

Clallam County doesn’t have to belong to the ICLEI; it can just hire a consultant who does.

It’s a strategy outlined in a 2021 closed-door workshop planned by the NODC and North Olympic Land Trust. Participants included the Jamestown Tribe, County Employee Cheryl Bauman (who worked against the completion of Towne Road and helped stop the Happy Valley Gravel Pit), and the Puget Sound Partnership (which co-authored a report that concluded the Dungeness Reservoir was needed). The workshop discussed seizing beachfront property for homeowners but “not paying full price.” Participants sought to achieve their goals by updating local comprehensive plans and “educating” elected officials.

This February, the contract with Cascadia was fast-tracked for approval — the customary 8-day process was shortened to 24 hours while Mielke and Johnson were out of town. Before voting, Commissioner French had a message for the gallery before voting.

“Public agencies should do a better job soliciting input,” began French. He explained that local government shouldn’t just be “checking boxes.” He said they should be doing “real public engagement,” which earned a nod from DCD Director Bruce Emery. “I think the other thing that is true,” continued French, “is that communities should mobilize to provide that public input. We get better results from whatever policy development we do when communities mobilize.”

Commissioner French moved to approve the contract with Cascadia Consulting Group, and Commissioner Ozias seconded. With that, the county entered into a contract for $369,535.00, and no one but John Worthington recalls it happening during the tightest budget crunch in recent county history.

A little history

Worthington and the commissioners have an interesting relationship.

In March, Commissioner French, a self-proclaimed champion of “real public engagement,” censored John Worthington’s right to free speech by not allowing him to share his screen during virtual public comment. This policy had not been announced or enforced previously and is currently not in effect. Moments before, a Towne Road landowner (to whom Commissioner Ozias had promised automatic, electric, taxpayer-funded gates) had been allowed to share his screen while illustrating why Towne Road should remain closed to the public.

Commissioner Ozias supported French’s censorship of Worthington and said he favored developing more policies to restrict public comment. Ozias explained that screen sharing has “resulted in confusion that's unnecessary." He referenced a recent instance in which Worthington displayed a document showing the NODC supported the Dungeness River Off-Channel Reservoir project. Ozias denied that his organization had any involvement with the reservoir.

We now know that Worthington’s information, proof that the NODC has supported the reservoir project for years, was accurate. So was his claim that the County is in a contract with Cascadia Consulting Group. No wonder the Jamestown Tribe has contacted the County to advise them that Worthington “doesn’t appear to know anything” and is “just a collection of crackpot comments.”

The Board of Clallam County Commissioners owes John Worthington a letter of apology.