In this whole long, strange, stupid story,  this might perhaps be the strangest piece:

"The six-page, hand-written settlement agreement is available on the county’s website, www.clallam.net."  

Really  --  <i>hand-written</i>?  After 17 years, nobody could be bothered to just type it up like any other legal document?  Or is this so citizens can't be sure what they're reading?  That would fit with the rest of the peculiar shell game.