PORT ANGELES — Dogs and cats soon may be allowed to be licensed without rabies shots in Clallam County.
Commissioners Mike Doherty, Steve Tharinger and Mike Chapman approved on Tuesday a notice of hearing on a proposed ordinance to remove the vaccination requirement in the county code.
A hearing on the matter has been set for 10:30 a.m. Aug. 18.
Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict told the board last week that dogs still will be required to get rabies shots. The proposed ordinance simply uncouples the vaccination requirement from the licensing paperwork.
Benedict said the change may drum up county compliance of pet licensing, which supports the Humane Society.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office wants to eventually have a uniform pet licensing law for pet owners in the unincorporated areas of the county as well as Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks.
Meanwhile, the board signed three contracts to continue providing employment services for people with developmental disabilities.
One-year contracts with Pierce, Jones & Associates, Washington Initiative for Supported Employment and Concerned Citizens are good until June 30, 2010.
The county contracts the work and handles the referrals.
“Our job is to find local providers and contract with them to get people with developmental disabilities into the employment world,” said Willie Burer, human services planner for the Clallam County Department of Health and Human Services.
Burer said the county took a 20 percent cut for those services because of state budget reductions this year.
Despite the reductions, the county’s partner agencies have “stepped up to provide still pretty robust services,” Tharinger said.
Agreements are typically two years, but the state did not want to commit to more than one year because of the budget situation, Burer said.
“We serve the same number of people as before.”
Meanwhile, the board extended a multi-year contract with Clark County to provide HIV and AIDS case management services.
Clallam County is the contractor in the one-year agreement, which carries maximum reimbursement of $54,780 to support salaries and benefits through March 31, 2010.
The board also approved an agreement with the state Administrative Office of the Courts for children served by court-appointed special advocates. Revenue is being reduced by $7,045 for the remainder of 2009.
Expanded rest area
As discussed on Monday, the board approved a letter of understanding with the state Department of Transportation for the $3.78 million transfer of federal and state funds to the expanded rest area on U.S. Highway 101 east of Port Angeles.
The project is associated with the proposed highway over-crossing of a new county road near the Deer Park Cinema east of Port Angeles.
The county’s preferred alignment calls for an underpass of the highway near Buchanan Drive. The current highway grade would become an “over-crossing” above the new county road.
The entire $7.5 million safety improvement project is expected to be constructed in 2011.
A purchase agreement with Green Crow Timber LLC for an easement — and a bid award to C&J Excavating Inc. for construction — of the Olympic Discovery Trail’s west approach to the pedestrian deck of the new Elwha River bridge was postponed Tuesday.
“We don’t have the documentation necessary to award those bids,” County Administrator Jim Jones explained at the beginning of the meeting.
Commissioners opened two bids from local contractors for the Salt Creek Tributaries Culvert Replacement Project.
Clallam County is doing preliminary engineering and contract administration through a reimbursable work agreement with the Lower Elwha Tribe. The tribe is funding construction of the salmon habitat restoration project in the Salt Creek drainage west of Port Angeles.
Wilson Construction of Port Angeles Inc. submitted a total bid of $635,477.16.
C&J Excavating of Carlsborg submitted a $816,877.30 bid.
The bids were referred to the public works department for review and recommendation.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
