County Public Health Administrator Martha Lanman resigns

DAYTON–The Columbia County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) accepted Public Health Administrator Martha Lanman's resignation, approved Resolution 2021-44 amending the 2021 budget, and learned Emergency Management and Dispatch Center Director Ashley Strickland increased Wages and Benefits in his department that did not necessitate a budget amendment during the meeting on October 4.

Lanman, who served in the Whitman County Public Health Department and an eleven-year veteran with the Columbia County Public Health Department, gave a 30-day notice terminating her employment agreement here. "I'm giving 30 days' notice to terminate my employment agreement without cause," said Lanman. "My last day will be November 4."

The responses from the attending County Commissioners were utter surprise. Commissioner Marty Hall responded, "That's a surprise." Commissioner Ryan Rundell told Lanman, "We appreciate your service to the County and wish you well in the future also." Hall interjected, "The last several months have not been very easy for anybody, so just thank you."

Rundell later reacted to say, "That was unexpected."

In other Public Health business, Lanman provided an update on COVID cases numbering 16 cases. Hall asked about if treating COVID patients using monoclonal antibody therapy was available locally. This therapy is approved for those testing positive and who are at high risk for progression to severe illness, including hospitalization or death. Lanman replied, "It's available and we encourage it."

Columbia County Auditor Anne Higgins presented amendments to the 2021 Budget during a scheduled budget hearing. She reported funds from Current Expense being allocated to the Ending Fund Balance by over $56,000 and $15,000 for Professional Services for the Washington State Audit. Also, under Wages and Benefits, Election and Dispatch, she said those budgets "will not make it until the end of the year with what's there."

Higgins reported for Wages and Benefits, there is another "$126,000 being paid out of other funds that weren't paid in the past, and the girls have been tracking their actual time spent in each section where they didn't have too before. Some of it will come back through Election Billing and most of it will because that's where most of the cost is being incurred. The State will be billed. The bill for the Port [of Columbia] in the primary is getting ready to go out and it will come back in to fund those, and in November the bill for the general election will go out and there will be multiple people being billed for that including us–we'll get a share of that."

Higgins continued, "Professional Services were increased by $30,000 - that's related to a lawsuit that is more than expected now. That will have to be moved over to the Risk Pool. I have an email out to Dale [Slack, County Prosecutor] to see if there is anything he can do about that because it's getting to be excessive. We need to finish it."

Additional amendments presented were as follows. Ashley [Strickland of Emergency Management and Dispatch] did not ask for an increase in Wages and Benefits. "I just increased them on my own because it's so low, said Strickland. He has a grant reimbursed, as well, not for dispatch. "I have a $35,000 transfer out to Parks and Rec so if I'm going to change that, I need to know," said Strickland. "The Current Expense Reserve–I'm budgeting the interfund loan of $60,000 [to Solid Waste] and then I've split that out for payment and interest received. You won't receive that much during this year, but they are starting their repayments in November so you will receive some of that repayment. The HVAC - I put $200,000 under Capital [Expense] and $68,418 under Professional Services...so we're not adding anything there, we're just reallocating what was already adopted."

Higgins stated other funds will be receiving money from the Sale and Use Tax funds put aside from the windmill projects that have now been cleared for use. "So, I'm going to disperse $847,000 to Current Expense and E-911 [Emergency and Dispatch]," she said. "We've had to increase the wages in auto licensing and it's all coming out of the Ending Fund Balance that I have there. It's a redistribution so it can be spent instead of being saved.

Higgins reported that the fund for Risk Pool originally didn't have any funds designated for professional services reimbursement because lawsuits are normally paid out of the budget of the county department that is involved in the suit. The Professional Services budget has increased to cover the expenses beyond the initial $5000 budget. "That entire budget will be paid off by the departments that it's applicable to because that's the internal service fund," she said.

Higgins said additional budget changes are expected so another Budget Hearing is anticipated next month.

Commissioner Chuck Amerein was not in attendance at the October 4, 2021 meeting.