Council President Wilkerson: joint meeting addressed West Plains economic development and PFAS challenges

Council President Betsy Wilkerson said city, county and airport officials completed a joint meeting focused on economic development for the West Plains and on addressing challenges related to PFAS. "We just completed our joint meeting with the county, the airport," Wilkerson said, adding the discussion covered regional growth and environmental concerns.

Wilkerson said the group discussed strategies to support economic activity on the West Plains and noted the airport's role in bringing visitors and business to the region. "The exciting thing was the number of people who are flying into Spokane and the economic impact that brings to our region," she said.

She also said meeting participants considered the challenges posed by PFAS and "really how do we go forward," indicating environmental and public-health implications were part of the discussion. Wilkerson characterized the session as collaborative, saying the meeting demonstrated officials are "working collaboratively on solutions and challenges as we move our region forward."

Wilkerson said leaders plan to reconvene in three months to continue their work. She did not announce any formal votes or specific policy decisions at the meeting.