Yakima County identifies possible funding for YCSO search and rescue team

YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. —The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team, which undertakes 50 to 70 missions annually across the state, is facing funding challenges.

“We don't even have a line in our budget to support it," Sheriff Bob Udell said at a recent meeting with the Yakima County Board of Commissioners. "They literally live off of when we can find somebody to shove their way or donations."

However, one proposed solution is to use Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds.

“[They are] funds that come from the federal government for public lands, that are not on our assessment rolls and we still are required to provide services,” Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney said.

The county has received $295,000 in PILT funds over the past three years, all of which remain unused.

“I can only assume that there was just hesitancy by either previous boards or sheriffs that they didn't want to become reliant upon something that was unreliable, but we do need to use it because it is exactly for this use,” McKinney said.

Udell said their goal is to use that funding to create a position for a part-time deputy dedicated to search and rescue.

“We'll use the money to fully fund that position and offer overtime when we need more presence up on the pass,” Udell said.

Currently, the department has only one deputy assigned to enforce laws on federal lands and that position is paid for at about 75% with funds from the U.S. Forest Service.

Udell said that lone deputy is working without additional support due to a staffing shortage within the Forest Service. He said the one USFS law enforcement officer they had in the area was transferred to another state and it'll be one to two years before they staff that position again.

“It is truly the Wild West up there and so we're looking for funds, obviously, to support the one position we already have up there, plus overtime if we need to send people up there," Udell said.

All three Yakima County Commissioners agreed at the meeting to move forward with getting a public hearing so that they can allocate their PILT dollars towards search and rescue.

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