A relatively short and polite gathering of top Clark County leaders and officials Wednesday was significant not for its content, but for what it symbolized.
Acting County Manager Mark McCauley for the first time presented an annual report to the Clark County council. The 23-page report highlights the county’s accomplishments in the last year and looks forward to the future.
The county manager’s report is a new requirement under the Clark County Home Rule Charter adopted by voters last November, so Wednesday marked another chapter in full charter implementation by Clark County.
“You made a bit of history here today,” Councilor David Madore told McCauley.
Rather than speak alone for the 40-minute presentation, McCauley turned the presentation over to county officials, who listed some of the key accomplishments of the county in the last year. They included:
• A new records management system, called the Regional Justice Information Network, that creates a regional database of crime reports in 41 Washington and Oregon law enforcement agencies, including the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
• The recent approval of $4.3 million in upgrades to key features of Clark County’s information technology systems, including its phone system and document software.
• About $34 million in transportation improvement projects across Clark County.
“That’s a pretty good cup of chili,” McCauley said following the brief presentations from his cohorts.
The presentation comes less than a month before the Clark County council officially expands from three members to five on Dec. 29, and, assuming McCauley is hired permanently by the full council, the word “acting” will be knocked off his title.
McCauley’s report can be read on the county’s website, www.clark.wa.gov.
