Chelan, Douglas counties eye veterans service office merger

The briefing

Officials in Chelan and Douglas counties are weighing a merger of their veterans service offices into a single two-county operation based in Wenatchee. Supporters say it would create a one-stop shop with more staff available for walk-ins and rural outreach, on a roughly $496,000 budget split 65% Chelan and 35% Douglas by population. Others have raised questions about oversight and how tax dollars, including the Veteran Relief Fund, would be managed.