What’s on our Radar – Week of July 21st, 2025
Tickets for Friends of Clark County’s annual fundraising dinner on September 14th are available now! Read about how important this fundraiser is—especially this year—on the front page of our website here: https://friendsofclarkcounty.org/
- Last week:
- At the Tuesday Clark County Council meeting, the council approved the request for approval of a contract proposal with ECONorthwest to carry out the countywide agricultural lands study. Council and administrative policy implications noted were the timely completion of the 2025-2045 Comprehensive Plan Update. Reminder that this consultant stated recently (just like FOCC and county staff before them) that the timeline was not enough for them to complete such a study, so the council irresponsibly extended the completion of the Comp Plan even further past the state mandated deadline (knowing the dire risks associated with flouting state law) instead of waiting to perform the study until after the Comp Plan’s completion—all in order to accommodate just two cities’ (Ridgefield and La Center) requests to take out hundreds of acres of designated agricultural land. However, a group of 13 community-based organizations representing underserved communities advocated to the council and won the inclusion of food security as a factor in the agricultural lands study on Tuesday.
- At the Tuesday Clark County Council meeting, the council approved the request for approval of a contract proposal with ECONorthwest to carry out the countywide agricultural lands study. Council and administrative policy implications noted were the timely completion of the 2025-2045 Comprehensive Plan Update. Reminder that this consultant stated recently (just like FOCC and county staff before them) that the timeline was not enough for them to complete such a study, so the council irresponsibly extended the completion of the Comp Plan even further past the state mandated deadline (knowing the dire risks associated with flouting state law) instead of waiting to perform the study until after the Comp Plan’s completion—all in order to accommodate just two cities’ (Ridgefield and La Center) requests to take out hundreds of acres of designated agricultural land. However, a group of 13 community-based organizations representing underserved communities advocated to the council and won the inclusion of food security as a factor in the agricultural lands study on Tuesday.
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- At Clark County Council Time, there was a discussion of the 2026 draft legislative priorities, including the 3rd corridor visioning study proviso (supported by Glen Yung with acknowledgement there is not much support for it and that emphasis is on the I5 bridge replacement), benthic algal mats (toxic to pets and humans), forest conservation funding/ activities (land swap funding, carbon sequestration funding, etc.), the Clean Building Initiative (currently an unfunded mandate), as well as other priorities unrelated to FOCC’s work.
- There was a Planning Commission work session on the housing and transportation elements of the Clark County Comprehensive Plan Update from the week before last that has finally been posted and is available here: 7.10.2025 Clark Co Planning Commission Comp Plan Policy: Housing, Transportation Of note; concerning statements were made by commissioners indicating their wish to recommend serious modification of the Clark County Environmental Justice Coalition’s contributions to the draft climate goals and policies related to references to systemic racism.
- This week:
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- Wednesday, July 23rd at 8:30am is a Board of Health meeting.
- Wednesday, July 23rd after the BOH meeting are work sessions on the Code Update-2026 Environmental Public Health Fees and Vancouver Lake Management Plan – Results from Phase 2/Next Steps.
- Wednesday, July 23rd at 1pm is Council Time. Agenda items of note:
- Trust Land Tour about the site visits being planned for councilors with the Department of Natural Resources. As a reminder, FOCC spoke out against another DNR timber sale (Turnover) of legacy forest that is moving through the process despite the county’s request to the DNR to conserve what is left of our older growth forests. In addition, we urged that local advocates and press be included in this trust lands visit and other meetings with the DNR on this subject going forward, given the DNR’s behavior with the Dabbler timber sale and so many other legacy forests across the state. Community members will be invited to the tours, but they are still working on scheduling. See FOCC’s new letter to the Clark County Council regarding this issue here: https://friendsofclarkcounty.org/read-foccs-letter-to-the-clark-county-council-re-turnover-timber-sale-and-dnr-managed-clark-county-trust-lands/ The public can comment on this agenda item.
- Deep dive into the week’s meeting agenda, including how to participate, here: https://clark.wa.gov/councilors/clark-county-council-meetings
See you next week!
Karissa
FOCC Community Outreach