Kittitas County commissioners approve communications assessment, move forward on OpenGov contract
March 09, 2026 | Kittitas County, Washington
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KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — The Kittitas County Board of Commissioners on March 9 endorsed several Central Services Committee recommendations, approving a $12,000 budget amendment to fund a countywide external communications assessment and authorizing staff to pursue a contract management solution with OpenGov.
Zack Dehaven, the county’s budget and finance director and representative to the Central Services Committee (CSC), told the board the committee will act as an advisory body to the Board and Management Team and has agreed to provide two meetings per year to update commissioners on CSC work and priorities. He asked the board to approve a partnership with Kittitas County Public Health’s subject matter expert and a proposed $12,000 amendment to better define organizational communications needs and clarify future direction; the board approved the request.
Doug Fessler, the county IT director, presented the CSC’s five‑step project management framework — Kickoff, Scope, Assign Project Management, Cadence, and Rescope — saying the framework was kept intentionally simple to make adoption easier across departments.
Zane Kinney, assistant IT director, asked the board to approve a consolidated county newsletter. Staff described the goal as consolidating daily approvals into a single county email digest to increase awareness and reduce duplicated messaging; the board authorized implementation of the digest.
Angela Bugni, a paralegal in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and Dehaven reviewed a proposed 45‑month contract with OpenGov for a contract management solution estimated at approximately $124,065. The board approved moving forward with the solution; a formal contract will be presented at a future Board Agenda session for final action.
The CSC also reviewed a list of items that have been submitted but not yet prioritized — including consolidation of public‑relations requests, a centralized purchasing officer, grants management, space optimization, internal cost allocation, and ransomware response — noting some of those items are being advanced by other groups that may be more closely aligned with the subject matter.
The special meeting opened at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at 10:53 a.m.
Zack Dehaven, the county’s budget and finance director and representative to the Central Services Committee (CSC), told the board the committee will act as an advisory body to the Board and Management Team and has agreed to provide two meetings per year to update commissioners on CSC work and priorities. He asked the board to approve a partnership with Kittitas County Public Health’s subject matter expert and a proposed $12,000 amendment to better define organizational communications needs and clarify future direction; the board approved the request.
Doug Fessler, the county IT director, presented the CSC’s five‑step project management framework — Kickoff, Scope, Assign Project Management, Cadence, and Rescope — saying the framework was kept intentionally simple to make adoption easier across departments.
Zane Kinney, assistant IT director, asked the board to approve a consolidated county newsletter. Staff described the goal as consolidating daily approvals into a single county email digest to increase awareness and reduce duplicated messaging; the board authorized implementation of the digest.
Angela Bugni, a paralegal in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and Dehaven reviewed a proposed 45‑month contract with OpenGov for a contract management solution estimated at approximately $124,065. The board approved moving forward with the solution; a formal contract will be presented at a future Board Agenda session for final action.
The CSC also reviewed a list of items that have been submitted but not yet prioritized — including consolidation of public‑relations requests, a centralized purchasing officer, grants management, space optimization, internal cost allocation, and ransomware response — noting some of those items are being advanced by other groups that may be more closely aligned with the subject matter.
The special meeting opened at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at 10:53 a.m.
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