PORT ANGELES — For the second time in four days, Clallam County Treasurer Selinda Barkhuis has objected to commissioner-approved grants to city and port governments.
Barkhuis said last Thursday she would withhold a $1 million grant to the Port of Port Angeles and a $285,952 grant to the city of Port Angeles until a judge has determined whether the funds are being “disbursed according to law.”
Commissioners are expected to approve the warrants for the infrastructure grants on their consent agenda at the beginning of their business meeting today.
“They’re going to do whatever they’re going to do,” Barkhuis said about today’s expected action in a telephone interview Monday.
In a Monday email to commissioners, Barkhuis said County Administrator Jim Jones was wrong to say the board did not need to hold a public hearing to approve the grants from the Opportunity Fund.
Commissioners approved the grants without a hearing May 12.
“When this issue goes to Superior Court, I plan on questioning the BOCC’s [Board of County Commissioners’] continued use of taxpayer funds to pay for an assistant to blatantly misinform the public about the law, at the expense of taxpayer rights and millions in taxpayer funds,” Barkhuis wrote.
Jones declined to respond to Barkhuis’ latest email.
In a Thursday interview, Jones said the board acted within county policy and state law and with the full support of the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols would not comment Monday on the specifics the matter, citing ethical constraints.
He did say that separate deputy prosecuting attorneys have advised the board and Barkhuis.
“The office has been providing representation to both parties,” Nichols said.
Should the dispute between Barkhuis and the commissioners office make it to court, the county may need to hire an outside attorney to avoid a conflict of interest, Nichols said.
The outside attorney would be presumably at taxpayer expense.
Commissioners authorized the Auditor’s Office to issue warrants from the Opportunity Fund to pay for the grants to the port and the city.
The infrastructure grants are funded with money that had been budgeted for the Carlsborg sewer project.
The port will use its grant to complete a 25,000-square-foot composites recycling center in west Port Angeles, and the city will use its grant for the second phase of its waterfront improvement project.
The sales-tax supported Opportunity Fund can be used for infrastructure projects and personnel in economic development offices.
In her email, Barkhuis asked commissioners to “please be aware that you have no good reason to trust the veracity of your county administrator’s legal interpretations and claims.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
