Commissioner Bobby Jackson, right, talks to fellow commissioners Edna Fund and Gary Stamper during a workshop in August in the commissioners' hearing room.
The Board of Lewis County Commissioners on Tuesday evening announced they would begin the process of hiring a county manager.
The announcement comes as a political action committee called One Lewis County has come within 131 signatures of initiating the home rule charter process with the chief goal of hiring a county manager or executive and making the position a requirement of Lewis County government.
A press release from the commissioners’ office said that “after extensive research – including considering budgetary issues, examining the complexity of county government and reviewing the work performed by the Blue Ribbon Task Force – Lewis County Commissioners Edna J. Fund, Robert C. Jackson and Gary Stamper have begun the process of hiring a county manager.”
The commissioners plan to hire a professional agency to recruit candidates for the position, according to the release.
“‘This was not a decision made lightly,’ Commissioner Fund said in a prepared statement. “We took time to review our present structure. We also looked back at 2007, when this position was eliminated. At this point, we believe our county will benefit from a manager who will handle the day-to-day operations while the commissioners continue focusing on policy issues, such as economic development, flood mitigation, the loss of timber dollars and the continuous rise of unfunded mandates.”
The commissioners appointed a task force to analyze the structure of county government in early 2017. That move came after informal meetings by citizens were held to discuss the possibility of pursuing the home rule charter process to reform county government to include a manager or executive to help elected commissioners manage Lewis County’s government.
The meetings were held after The Chronicle reported on a contentious period in Lewis County government that included turmoil at the Lewis County 911 Communications Center, the announcement that funding for the county’s senior centers would come to an end, the use of millions of dollars in reserves, a second lawsuit claiming a hostile work environment in the commissioners’ office and a number of additional issues.
“In 2017, the commissioners created the Blue Ribbon Task Force and asked members Tony Briggs, Lee Grose, Larry McGee, Anil Puri and Lonnie Willey to review the current form of county government,” the Tuesday press release from the commissioners states. “The Blue Ribbon Task Force concluded Lewis County should hire a county manager. The Task Force indicated the county manager could find efficiencies, develop new opportunities and provide institutional knowledge when new commissioners are elected. Commissioners Fund, Jackson and Stamper agree, and they look forward to finding the right candidate for the job.”
Meanwhile, One Lewis County, formed by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, is likely to collect enough signatures to send the home rule charter process to voters. If successful, elected freeholders would meet and design a proposed form of government that would then go before voters for approval.
The chief goal of One Lewis County is to make the hiring of a county manager or executive a requirement in Lewis County. The political action committee has also expressed support for expanding the commission to include more members while drastically reducing the salaries of the commissioners. Currently, each of the three commissioners costs more than $110,000 each year in salaries and benefits. One Lewis County has proposed making the elected positions part time and reducing the pay.
Ultimately, the specifics of the charter would be up to the freeholders, regardless of the views of One Lewis County, though the group is actively recruiting potential freeholders to go on the ballot.
The group was just 131 signatures short of its goal as of Friday with more time to collect signatures.
This story will be expanded and updated in Thursday’s edition of The Chronicle.
