Wahkiakum County Comprehensive Plan

Rosburg Public Forum Rosburg Community Hall October 9, 2002

A series of five public forums was held to gather community input for development of the Wahkiakum County Comprehensive Plan. These meetings involved asking two essential questions: 1) “What do you like about Wahkiakum County?” to identify community values and qualities about the county that people hope never change; and, 2) “What do you see as the issues, concerns, problems, ideas or questions facing Wahkiakum County in the future?” These responses helped define issues, which were then ranked by each attendee in order to arrive at community priorities.

VALUES:

Solitude/Peace & quiet/Laid-back, low-key existence Rural open spaces Sparsely populated & privacy/Not crowded/No urban sprawl Rosburg Store & Rosburg Hall Lack of rules & regulations/Codes not overly restrictive Ability to own a home and live with minimal taxes Responsive, caring neighbors/Rural friendliness Opportunities for community input Safety/Apparent lack of crime Natural beauty/The greenness of our environment/Appearance of the community/Clean Common interest in preserving waterways Good drinking water/Clean air Temperate climate Plentiful outdoor recreation Good schools

Rosburg Public Forum October 9, 2002 Page 1 Please note: Only those issues that received a numerical score during the small group discussion were assigned numbers. Each participant was allowed to rank the top 5 issues. Government Reduction in tax rolls due to increase in tax-exempt ownership 16 Property taxes need to be kept affordable 15 Adequate police/fire protection 13 Mail delivery down Hull Road 6 Rate of property tax vs. services received 6 Increased enforcement of unlawful violations 5 Tax on timberlands too low 5 Maintain/increase quality of schools 3 Government agencies should keep promises 3 Communication between departments/follow-up on issues 2 Adverse possession law should be eliminated 1 Need library services on west end 1 Not enough access to timberlands Need more balanced and fairer county hiring practices 76 Environmental Flooding (7 included culvert maintenance) 35 Erosion on private property/siltation along rivers 14 Trash along the roadways/Trashing of private property 5 Protect drinking water quality 2 56 Land Use/Development Private property rights (federal/state/local government issues; resources vs. people) 29 Maintain rural/farm lifestyle 19 Lack of cohesive county wide identity and vision/special interest groups 5 53 Economic Development Need to create more jobs/Too few jobs 18 Lack of growth—businesses and families/tax base issues 11 Family wage jobs/young people leaving/aging population/existing business 5 Encourage small manufacturing/light industry 3 Higher prices due to distance from marketplace 37

Housing Need assisted living and senior housing/senior services 13 Permitting & utility costs to build a new home 6 19

Rosburg Public Forum October 9, 2002 Page 2 Social Need children/youth programs & activities 10 More focus on senior citizens/less youth focus 5 Need more social events 1 Weak networking between various organizations to achieve broad goals Inadequate daycare in west end of county 16 Transportation S.R. 4 is inadequate 5 Keeping highways open during flooding 5 Inadequate county road/roadside/culvert maintenance 4 14 Public Facilities/Utilities/Infrastructure Public water needed in unserved areas 13 Power costs 1 Electrical and other utilities are marginal systems 14

Top Issues: 1. Flooding/Erosion/Siltation/Keeping roads open during flooding 54 2. Taxes—tax-exempt owners/keep affordable/services received/timber 42 3. Economic Dev.—Create jobs/Lack growth/Family wage/Small mfg. 37 4. Private property rights—all levels of gov’t; resources vs. people 29 5. Maintaining rural lifestyles 19 6. Public Safety – adequate police/fire protection/enforcement 18 7. Need programs/services for youth/seniors 15 8. Need assisted living & senior housing/services 13 9. Water supply for unserved areas 13 10. Transportation—S.R. 4 inadequate/County road/roadside/culvert maint. 9

065 Rosburg Community Forum MT 10.02

Rosburg Public Forum October 9, 2002 Page 3