“A lot of cities are finding that they are overrun with STRs, and they have to establish limits because they haven’t planned accordingly, and we did not want to be in that position,” Krista Loney said. This ordinance will limit the number of STRs/vacation rentals allowed in the city to 32 units or 10 percent of the existing housing stock, whichever is less.

A second round of contract losses forces Klickitat County into budget crunch as dollars from Landfill dwindle. When asked about the reasons for the contract losses, Steve Gilmore, media representative for Republic Landfill Services, attributed the losses to a competitive market. “It's going to get exceedingly more difficult to pass a budget in the coming years,” Commissioner Jake Anderson said. ”The landfill has been our savior and saving grace for the last 30 years…

With costs in the millions of dollars, city officials will be looking for grants to purchase and rehabilitate properties that will provide essential community services such as child care, a youth center and multi-purpose rooms that would provide space for community gatherings.

“So it shifts, and variations change annually, but I will say historically, White Salmon falls pretty low statewide,” White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler said about the city’s tax rate. “In the county, we are the lowest in property taxes.”

Flock license plate cameras are being met with mixed emotions and budgetary concerns in communities throughout Klickitat County as leaders worry about the burden of the $3,000 annual cost per camera and privacy issues.

 “We have a duty to protect the citizens and visitors of Klickitat County; therefore, using advanced technology such as the Flock Cameras will assist deputies in our mission to protect our residents and visitors to Klickitat County,” Undersheriff Carmen Knopes said. Not all see it that way. “These systems are ripe for abuse and a great tool for authoritarians,” one citizen commented.