State of the County address to air on TV
starting February 18, 2007

On Friday, February 16, Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart presented the annual State of the County Address. Clark-Vancouver Television filmed the event and plans to begin rebroadcasting it on Sunday, February 18, at 9 p.m. on Channel 23 (see below for more dates & times).

For the first time, the address was held at the Clark County Event Center at the fairgrounds. “Truth is,” Stuart said, “I couldn’t think of a better place to illustrate the theme of my remarks, “proud past, promising future.”

Bringing new jobs to Clark County and planning for growth were two major topics featured in the speech. Stuart quoted a recent report from the Regional Transportation Council that estimates it will take roughly 50 years at current growth rates to reach one million residents in Clark County. “If we continue growing the same way, every acre of dirt in Clark County, except the northeast hills, will be developed in a city and 16,000 households will still not have a place.” he said. “This illustrates the need to proactively plan for our future before we get run over by it.”

According to Stuart, the Board is aggressively designating land for jobs, focusing infrastructure investment in key job-creation areas, and streamlining the permit process, all to attract employers.

Here are a summary of other comments from Commissioner Stuart:

• The growth plan update: “We’ll set the stage for more jobs in Clark County by adopting a plan that throws the final shovel of dirt on any notion that we’re a bedroom community.”

• Columbia Crossing; “Bottom line — Build a new 12-lane bridge. Build a new 30-lane bridge. Shortly after that bridge is built, congestion will return…Only by changing how, when, and where we travel will there ever be hope for true congestion relief on the I-5 corridor.”

• Sustainability: “We need to make sure that we continue to have a safe, secure future where there is healthy food to eat, clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, good jobs to support our families, strong schools to educate our kids, and social services to make sure that everyone has the essentials. For me, that’s the definition of sustainability, which is a critically important issue for our county…My goal is to make Clark County the premier location for development and manufacturing of new sustainability technologies. To showcase these efficient and environmentally friendly projects, I’ll be working this year with the Building Industry Association to develop a “Sustainable Street of Dreams.”

• Environment: “The Conservation Lands Management Program is already identifying and combining resources from many public and private sources with similar goals…These natural features that greatly enhance our quality of life are in jeopardy if we don’t act responsibly today.”

• Parks: “Let me assure you that the Board of Clark County Commissioners will make sure that the parks and sports fields promised to the voters when they approved the parks district WILL be built.”

• Budget: “The county is in excellent financial shape… I am pleased that in December 2006 the Board of Clark County Commissioners adopted a very robust, sustainable two-year budget that will maintain and enhance services for the people we represent.”

• Drugs and crime: “We’ve done a lot to fight meth. We need to do more… A new one-tenth of one percent countywide sales tax will raise revenue to fight drug and alcohol abuse, including meth… An estimated $5 million annually will be raised by a new two-tenths of one percent sales tax in unincorporated Clark County. Funds from this tax will be used to put more deputies on the streets, increase staff in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the courts, and begin planning for a badly needed court and jail facilities. People who choose to break the law should know that they will get caught, and there will be real consequences for their actions.”


CVTV will also show the State of the County Speech on Monday, February 19, on Channel 23 at 4:15 p.m. and on Channel 21 at 7 p.m.; Tuesday, February 20, at 8:10 a.m. on Channel 23 and 10 a.m. on Channel 21; Wednesday, February 21, at 9:45 a.m. on Channel 21 and 12:30 p.m. on Channel 23; and Saturday, February 24, at 4:15 p.m. on Channel 21.