Incumbent commissioner discusses county issues

MOSES LAKE — Grant County Commission candidate Rob Jones discussed infrastructure, the commissioners’ role in funding county departments and the work release center in a candidate forum Oct. 7. 

Jones, the incumbent, is being challenged by David Henderson, who was ill the night of the forum. The Columbia Basin Herald asked Henderson for an interview where he would be asked the same questions and be under the same time constraints but didn’t receive a reply. His answers, if he does reply, will be published. 

The forum was sponsored by the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Basin Herald and KWIQ Radio. The sponsors submitted the questions, and the forum used a format where candidates did not always get the same question. 

Jones was asked about infrastructure, and how Grant County is doing when it comes to accommodating growth. Jones said county officials don’t always have influence over key infrastructure components. 

“I would say overall, we’re doing okay,” he said. “Realistically, at Grant County the struggle for us is that we don’t play a major role (in) infrastructure as far as the power and water.” 

The Grant County Public Utility District provides the county’s electricity, and the East Columbia Basin and Quincy irrigation districts manage irrigation water allocated through the Columbia Basin Project, he said.  

“It’s kind of a tricky one,” he said.  

County officials and other infrastructure providers are working together, he said. 

“This is something that we do meet about and try to work through. We just had a meeting that revolved around this; we’ve already been doing them quarterly or a couple times a year,” he said. 

Officials from throughout the county, including the commissioners, will be meeting to discuss planning for future growth, he said. Grant County has had a lot of interest from a wide range of businesses, he added. 

Jones also was asked about funding for county departments, which he said was adequate. 

“I can’t think of many times that we haven’t been able to provide what they need, whether it’s more employees, or at the fairgrounds – since we came in, we’ve put $11 million-plus into the fairgrounds. We’ve added a lot of staff. Two years ago the big thing was corrections deputies weren’t paid at a high enough rate. We increased their pay by 33% across the board; it was over a million dollar increase to the budget,” he said.  

“I think overall that the board has been able to give (county officials) what they need to do their job, because of the increased growth,” he added. “I think we do really well with what we have.” 

In answer to a question on the work release program, Jones said he would support it. 

“I love the idea of bringing back the work release program,” he said. “However, the last two sheriffs haven’t supported that program coming back as of yet.” 

The county has a lot of people who could be serving sentences for lower-level offenses in a work release program, he said. 

“It’s more effective. Rather than waiting for a new jail and additional jail space, those low-level offenses could be easily served at the work release building,” he said. “However, as of right now, there’s not a plan of opening that up.”