Approving a Personal Services Agreement with Robert K. Weidner BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
IN THE MATTER OF: RESOLUTION NO 19-303
APPROVING A PERSONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN LEWIS COUNTY AND ROBERT K WEIDNER
WHEREAS, Lewis County has agreed to join a group of six other Washington Counties
who support the Evergreen Forest County Group, and who have enlisted the services of
Robert K. Weidner in Washington, D.C., and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has reviewed a Personal
Services Agreement between Lewis County and Robert K. Weidner, dba Evergreen
Forest County Group, Fairfax, Virginia, for services for Lewis County as they relate to
public lands, environment and natural resources in conjunction with Secure Rural
Schools funding, and
WHEREAS, it appears to be in the best public interest to authorize the execution of the
Agreement for Lewis County
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Agreement between Lewis County and
Robert K. Weidner, dba Evergreen Forest County Group, in the amount of $15,000.00 is
hereby approved and the Chair of the BOCC is authorized to sign the same The
Agreement shall remain in effect from January 1, 2020, until December 31, 2020.
DONE IN OPEN SESSION this 21st day of October, 2019
APPROVED AS TO FORM. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Jonathan Meyer, Prosecuting Attorney LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Cullen Gatten Robert C . Jackson
By: Cullen Gatten, Robert C. Jackson, Chair
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney T}_.k�s•.
NR.O OF
ATTEST. .o; NC� °� Gary Stamper
S 1
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\$`i5 4;' Gary Stamper, Vice Chair
Rieva Lester ••'• . �o. Edna J . Fund
Rieva Lester, Edna J. Fund, Commissioner
Clerk of the Lewis County Board of
County Commissioners
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT
ON BEHALF OF LEWIS COUNTY,A MEMBER
OF THE EVERGREEN FOREST COUNTY GROUP
A Rural Public Lands County Council Affiliate
2020
I. PARTIES
This Memorandum of Agreement is by and between Robert K Weidner,
hereinafter"Weidner", with offices in the Washington,D C. area and Lewis County,
hereinafter"the County"
H. RESPONSIBILITIES
Pursuant to the terms of this Memorandum of Agreement, Weidner will serve as
Washington,D C government relation's advisor to Lewis County and other counties of
the Evergreen Forest County Group hereinafter"Evergreen" In this role, Weidner will
report to and receive guidance from Evergreen Group Members&Commissioners of
participating counties including:
A Monitoring and information gathering with the Administration and
Congress with respect to matters m which the counties may have interest.
Specifically, Weidner will closely momtor and provide information on
matters affecting public lands withm member counties.
B Lobbying Congress and departments of the executive Branch of the
government including the Department of the Intenor,the Office of
Management and Budget,the Department of Energy,the Environmental
Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture with respect to
matters, which affect member counties. This will involve arranging
meetings for officials of the member counties with officials of these
departments as necessary;the preparation of testimony and bnefmg
papers; assisting in devismg strategy;the implementation of that strategy
with respect to House and Senate Committees, and liaison work with key
committee members of the House and Senate Committees as well as
Committee staff
C In addition to those activities descnbed in"B"above,this will include
working with members and staffs of relevant Congressional Committees
on an on-going basis on behalf of member counties.
D Providing regular briefings to the Evergreen Executive Committee and
member counties following the guidelines set forth by the Executive
Committee.
E Provide periodic updates on issues and activities, which affect Evergreen
member counties
III. DURATION
This Memorandum of Agreement shall remain in effect from January 1, 2020
until December 31, 2020 However either party may cancel this contract on sixty days
notice without cause
IV. FEES
PLEASE MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO Robert K. Weidner. In
consideration of the above-referenced services to be performed by Weidner, the County
agrees to pay Weidner$15,000.00 in January of 2020 Should this contract be
terminated early, pursuant to the provision of III, above, and then compensation for
Weidner's services shall be computed based upon the number of hours actually expended
by Weidner multiplied by an hourly rate of$250.00 per hour. Provided, however, that in
no event shall the fees incurred exceed the total amount stated above unless agreed to by
the two parties
'obert r Weidner Date
/Old f
On ; alf of Lewis County Date
RECEIVED
Board of County Commissioners
Lewis County Washington
SEP 2 5 2019
Evergreen Forest County Group
10648 Canterberry Road
Fairfax Station, VA 22039
703 898-6603
rkw57 @msn corn
January 1, 2020
INVOICE
2020 County Annual Dues for Public Land, Environment &
Natural Resources Work by Robert K. Weidner on behalf of Lewis
County in Washington D.C.
Amount Due: $15,000.00
Please make check payable to:
Robert K. Weidner
Chartwell Enterprizes
W-9 S Corp. 47-2716989
10648 Canterberry Road
Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Many Thanks!
A Rural Public Lands County Council Affiliate County
Evergreen Forest County Group
September 15, 2019
Dear Commissioner:
I am pleased to report on the successful work of our Washington, D.C.
National Forest County lobbyist, Bob Weidner and urge your continued
support of his efforts on our behalf going forward
To get right to the point, one huge frustration shared by schools and
counties during the past five reauthorizations since 2013 has been
Congress's insistence that each successive reauthorization maintain a
debilitating annual five percent ramp down of SRS payments, as if the
program would be phased out and replaced by timber receipts
Due to Bob Weidner's initiative with Chief Christiansen, we have learned
that it is not Chief Christiansen, in response to a letter from California
Representative Doug LaMalfa provided Congress with factual information,
which clearly demonstrates that timber receipts cannot ever be counted
upon to replace SRS payment levels. Here's why.
The all time high level of National Forest timber receipts was
approximately $2.5 million dollars into the federal treasury in the late
1980's, while the highest timber harvest level was over 12 billion board
feet of high value and large diameter timber.
Chief Christiansen, in her response to Representative LaMalfa explained
that at the 2016, all-time-low National Forest system-wide harvest level
of 2 billion board feet, only $57 million was generated for the federal
treasury--a reduction of nearly $2.47 billion dollars--virtually all of it.
In other words, this amount was well below the near $400 million in 2009
SRS payments to schools and counties and still below the $220 million in
SRS payments to schools and counties for FY 2018 made last Spring. The
Chief went on to say that even if the Forest Service were to return to a 10
billion board foot level of harvest, such volume would only generate $147
million to the treasury because of the kind of small diameter, low value
trees now being cut on the country's National Forests. Again, this
opposed to the large diameter old growth trees, which were the source of
the historic high revenues of the late 1980s.
The long and the short of all this is that our counties and school districts
across the country are now reliant on Secure Rural Schools (SRS)
payments continuing indefinitely into the future because National Forest
timber receipts won't generate the revenue counties require.
To that end we just completed a lobbying campaign with Bob where
Washington State County Commissioners and our county allies from
across the west explained to key members of the Congress that we can
no longer accept legislation to extend SRS that continues to cut the
payment by five percent every year. These reductions from 2009 leave us
with only 45% of what we require. Bob prepared the following
recommendations, which we embrace.
1) Protect counties from a 20-40% PILT payment reduction by restoring
SRS payments at their higher 2009 or similar levels going forward,
2) Eliminate the 5% annual reduction in SRS payments which has steadily
eroded school and county buying power;
3) Permanently block the ability of the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) to Sequester money away from counties under the bogus premise
that SRS is an ongoing entitlement program, which it clearly is not;
4) Allow counties to opt-in or opt-out of SRS or receive timber receipts
whichever benefits the county more and allow flexibility in the form of an
annual election to select different payment ratios for SRS Title's II and III
which have been frozen since 2013 (This will allow the continuation of
RAC appointments for Title II projects with consensus support and fire
prevention projects under Title III;
5) Finally, the NFCSC proposal honors the 1908 Act which grants counties
25% of all receipts for traditional Forest Service Timber Sales and Salvage
Sales by expanding the 25% payment to include Stewardship contracts
and new Good Neighbor Authority contracts. Many National Forests are
no longer performing traditional timber sales but are performing only
stewardship contracts, which rob counties and schools from the 25%
payments they were historically promised under the 1908 Act.
-rely,
Air
it
Doug a ng a`•, Chelan County
Chairman, Evergreen Forest County Group
USDA United States Forest Washington Office 1400 Independence Avenue,SW
Department of Service Washington, D.0 20250
Agriculture
File Code: 2400; 1510 (8489485)
Date: DEC 21 2018
The Honorable Doug LaMalfa
U S House of Representatives
322 Cannon House Building
Washington,D C 20515
Dear Congressman LaMalfa.
Thank you for your letter of September 28, 2018, requesting information on U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Forest Service timber values and county elections related to Secure Rural Schools
(SRS) payments I apologize for the delayed response.
You asked for estimated receipts assuming low, medium, and high markets. Because we don't
have definitions for low, medium, and high markets, we averaged the receipts from fiscal years
(FY)2015, 2016, and 2017 to create estimated receipts. Data were pulled from the Harvest
Receipts Report (Cut portion of the Forest Service Cut and Sold Report). The average timber
receipt for all sales was $56.47 per MBF. This rate is used for estimating receipts generated
from stewardship sales.
The table below summarizes our projections of estimated revenues from the various timber
production levels that you requested Please note these are only projections and actuals might
vary widely due to many unforeseen factors
Projected Total Volume Estimated Stewardship
Volume Estimated Receipts
(Billion BF) ($million)
(Billion BF)
2.0 0 5 $28
4.0 1.0 $56
6.0 1.5 $85
8.0 2.0 $ 113
10.0 2.5 $ 141
In FY 2018, approximately 25 percent of the timber volume harvested on National Forest System
lands was done under some sort of stewardship contract or agreement This ratio is used in the
projections of future volumes and receipts.
We also appreciate your concern regarding the inability of counties to change their SRS Title II
and Title III allocations. County elections remain locked-in under P.L. 115-141, the most recent
SRS Act reauthorization. Counties will be authorized to change their elections once future
legislation authorizes them to do so.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper
The Honorable Doug LaMalfa 2
The Forest Service recognizes the serious forest health issues on the National Forests. We are
committed to increasing active management through a shared stewardship approach with our
partners and neighbors that address these challenges across jurisdictional boundaries. We will
strive to follow through with this commitment using all the tools available, including traditional
timber sales and stewardship sales
Thank you for writing. If we can provide any additional information, please contact John
Crockett,Acting Director of Forest Management, Range Management and Vegetation Ecology at
(202) 205-1495 or jwcrockett @fs.fed us
Sincerely,
/ V TORIA CHRIS IANSEN
Chief
DOUG LAMALFA WASHINGTON OFFICE
322 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUR DING
1ST DISTRICT,CALIFORNIA WASHINGTON,DC 20515
TEL (202)225-3076
COMMITTEE ON FAX (202)226-0852
NATURAL RESOURCES Qollgre55 of die ititeb 6tite5
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE OR 2862 uvn CT OFFICE
n.�Jp * + p.y 2862 OLIVE HIGHWAY
COMMITTEE ON douse of &epreseutcitibes SUITE t)
OROVILLE,CA 95966
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 2,. TEL 530 534 7100
�t�1t1s�)tilgt0lt, a 20515-0501 FAX (530)534 7800
REDOING DISTRICT OFFICE
2885 CHURN CREEK ROAD
September 28, 2018 SUITE C
REDOING,CA 96002
TEL (530)223-5898
FAX (530)223 5897
AUBURN DISTRICT OFFICE
2399 RICKENBACKER WAY
The Honorable Vicki Christiansen AUBURN CA,95602
TEL (530)878-5035
Interim Chief FAX (530)878 5037
USDA Forest Service hitp.Mamafa.house.gov
Sidney R Yates Federal Building
2014 14t" Street, SW
Washington,DC 20024
Dear Chief Christiansen,
Rural communities across my district have been deeply affected by the Congressional and
Administration actions under Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act
(SRS), including national forest management policies While I applaud your goals and that of
this Administration to increase total timber sale volumes for the health of our National Forests as
well as to generate private sector jobs and revenue for local economies, I am concerned about the
economic sustainability of our forest communities
For decades, the timber industry has been unable to produce sufficient revenues on National
Forest System (NFS) lands in states and local communities across America. During the late
1980s,total board feet volume of timber sales on NFS land reached nearly 12 billion board feet
(bbf) before hitting rock bottom levels of two bbf in 2016. For the purpose of fully understanding
the fiscal impact of future timber sales and to help Congress prepare for upcoming SRS
reauthorization, I ask that you provide a response to the below requests:
1. I respectfully ask you provide to my office estimates of revenues from the National
Forest System at the following timber production levels. two, four, six, eight and ten
billion board feet of timber produced at low, medium, and high values for wood
stumpage. I recognize that stewardship contracting has become a valuable tool for the
U S. Forest Service for improving land conditions. However, this practice produces no
net revenues for local counties and schools. It is important to factor in the use of
stewardship contracts when estimating the requested revenue. These revenue
estimates will help provide benchmarks to-determine the appropriate levels
of authorization and funding for the Secure Rural Schools program support for forest
communities going forward.
2 As the U S Forest Service prepares to make FY18 SRS payments, I request that the U S
Forest Service return to the original language and intent of SRS Titles II and III (15%of
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
e
annual SRS payments)regarding county elections. This would allow counties and school
systems that are locked into allocations based on 2011 or older SRS funding levels,to
update their SRS allocation formulas to better meet their funding needs.
In sum, our National Forests are facing a health crisis Rural counties are routinely told by then
Member of Congress that active forest management reforms will not only reduce the total
number of wildfires, but will provide sufficient revenues to National Forest counties and schools
to the degree that dependence on SRS payments will be reduced Counties and schools deserve to
know the degree to which the U.S. Forest Service is relying on Stewardship contracts in lieu of
traditional timber sales-from which payments are shared with states. The information you
provide will be very helpful in determining the appropriate payments through SRS going
forward.
Thank you for your work for our rural, forest counties I look forward to your response and to
continue working with you and your team on these important matters.
Sincerely,
oug fa fa
Member of Congress
BOCC AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Resolution: BOCC Meeting Date: Oct. 21, 2019
Suggested Wording for Agenda Item: Agenda Type: Deliberation
Approving a Personal Services Agreement between Lewis County and Robert K. Weidner
Contact: Candace Hallom Phone: 3607401391
Department: BOCC - Board of County Commissioners
Description:
This Resolution approves a Personal Services Agreement between Lewis County and Robert K.
Weidner.
Approvals: Publication Requirements:
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