Port, county discuss Wilma roads, taxes

The Port of Whitman County and Whitman County commissioners Monday met and discussed the joint interest of roads at the Port of Wilma. The two entities meet from time-to-time to discuss matters of joint interest, and at the two most recent meetings, the Port of Wilma road has come up.

“There is some discussion on that,” said County Commissioner Art Swannack. “It's currently a county road, and one of the issues is the type of industrial use on the road. You normally wouldn't have a giant log loader going back and forth on a county road.”

Swannack explained that the county owns the road and has to enforce state law on it. The businesses at the Port of Wilma often move machinery, log loaders and other large equipment on the road. The county and Port have been discussing if the road should remain under county ownership or move to Port ownership to better meet the needs of the companies at the Port of Wilma.

Swannack said one of the concerns has been the liability the county could face if there was an incident where, for example, a log loader crashed with a vehicle.

“It's county road laws versus industry requirements in the port industry,” Swannack explained.

They have also been discussing what the county gets out of owning the road.

“If it's Port property and the Port builds a building and leases it to somebody, the county doesn't get anything out of it,” Swannack said at the meeting Monday.

Port Executive Director Joe Poiré said the county should be receiving a share of leasehold taxes the Port pays to the state for land leased by the building owners at Wilma.

“Forty-seven percent is supposed to come back to the county,” said Port Commissioner Tom Kammerzell. “If you're not getting that back, I'd be tapping on their door.”

Swannack said they do not know if they are actually receiving those monies, and the matter will be looked into.

“The Port pays leasehold taxes to the state that they collect from people renting property and they remit that to the state,” he told the Gazette. “The state is supposed to send 47 percent back to the county.”

“Find out if you're getting that 47 percent,” Poiré advised.

“Or how many years back we didn't,” said County Commissioner Michael Largent.

Swannack said he believes the county is likely receiving the revenue.

As for the road, he said the county and Port will continue to work together for the best interests of all involved.

“It's a discussion,” he said, noting that if the ownership does transfer to the Port, it would be a simple road vacation procedure. “It wouldn't be a complicated thing.”