MLIRD directors respond to Hansen's resignation letter

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District directors publicly responded Thursday to criticism from former director Mick Hansen about the district's interpretation of election and assessment laws.

Hansen addressed the concerns in his resignation letter.

In their own letter released this week, directors Jeff Foster, Bill Bailey, Ron Covey and Ken Kernan addressed some of the issues in Hansen's letter- including the district's assessment methods and election practices. The full letter can be found in today's paper on page A3.

Hansen's resignation letter, which he submitted earlier this month, cited ongoing concern over those two issues as his reason for leaving the board. He called the current voting practices unfair and said MLIRD was over-assessing people which could lead to legal troubles, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald article.

Hansen also previously said the district's current assessment of $1 per $1,000 of valuation should have been put to a public vote before being implemented.

MLIRD directors held a special meeting earlier this week to discuss how they would respond to the claims Hansen made in his letter. During the meeting, directors decided they would draft their own letter. Bailey later said directors felt the need to write a response letter because they wanted to set the record straight about some of Hansen's allegations.

"Well I think when you're attacked publicly and your process is attacked publicly you have to answer the questions," he said. "And that's basically what we tried to do with the letter was to answer the questions Mr. Hansen raised."

In his letter, Hansen said the district's current assessment of $1 per $1,000 of valuation was being done without any authority in the RCW's (Revised Code of Washington). He said he could see how that might end up being a big legal liability for the district.

In their response, MLIRD directors said the district is within its rights to use the $1 per $1,000 of valuation assessment method. The state auditor has audited the district on both its assessment authority and assessment methodology and made no findings regarding either, they said. Directors also disputed Hansen's claims about the district's voting methods.

In his letter, Hansen said each landowner should get a set number of votes maximum not the two votes per parcel of land they currently receive. He referenced a 2011 letter from the state Attorney General's office that favored the two votes maximum method.

MLIRD directors said the district has used the two votes per parcel voting method for many years because they interpret "ownership" to mean "parcel." And the letter Hansen referenced expressly stated it would not be published as an official Attorney General Opinion, they wrote. Directors wrote that informal letter opinions don't carry much weight in the courtroom.

In addition, MLIRD consulted with two attorneys and have decided not to change its policy, according to the letter. Directors ended their letter by stating the district has been and remains committed to being honest and transparent. "Mr. Hansen insinuates that MLIRD lacks honesty and transparency," they wrote. "MLIRD absolutely denies those insinuations."