Responsibilities
All Yakima County Elected Officials are responsible for the administration and operation of their respective and independent departments. The Board of County Commissioners is responsible for the overall executive administration of Yakima County government.

As an elected board, the County Commissioners are responsible for direct oversight of the following County operations: Public Services, Department of Corrections, Human Resources, Technology Services, Purchasing, Grants Management, Financial Services and Department of Assigned Counsel. The county is divided into 3 districts on the basis of population. At the time of election each commissioner must live in and represent his/her district. The commissioners are partisan and are nominated in a primary election by voters in their particular district. All the voters in the county are given an opportunity in the general election to vote for the commissioner who will ultimately serve the 4-year term.


Further Duties
In addition to the oversight of these departments, the Board's duties include adopting and enacting ordinances and resolutions, levying taxes and establishing county policies. As the County's legislative authority, the Board is responsible for adoption of the annual budget, provision and maintenance of public facilities, construction and maintenance of County roads, development and implementation of planning and zoning policies, and appointments to advisory boards and commissions.