More Support Voiced for Lewis County Manager

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Another Lewis County elected official on Tuesday spoke in favor of hiring a county manager or executive who would have expertise on budgets and provide continuity to help steer the commissioners office.

The discussion took place during a meeting with the blue ribbon task force. Appointed by the commissioners, the task force has six weeks to analyze the structure of Lewis County government, compare it to others in the state, and determine if there is a better way to conduct business. The group was formed after a controversial year in the county commissioners’ office that led to informal gatherings of citizens interested in a home rule charter, which would allow citizens to reorganize county government.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said he believes the county needs a manager or executive who would bring managerial expertise that commissioners don’t always have. Meyer said most elected officials are experts in their field, but that’s different when it comes to the commissioners’ office.

“It’s like herding cats sometimes,” he said. “I think that’s where a county executive or manager would better serve because they would have that county experience.”

Meyer said one caveat to hiring an executive could be fewer public meetings, since the commissioners currently notify the public of meetings when there is a quorum and they currently act as managers for the county. 

He also said he’d rather see an elected executive instead of one who is appointed, so that individual would have to answer to the citizens of Lewis County.

An executive would be able to make the difficult decisions without worrying about what is popular, Meyer said. The commissioners are responsible for approving the county’s annual budget.

“I’m concerned with the future of the county simply because I think our priorities are out of whack as far as some of the budgeting items,” Meyer said. “… My issue is we need to do what we have to do before we can do what we want to do, and there are core functions county governments are required to do and functions we have taken on as a county that we are not required to fulfill.”

As examples, Meyer pointed to Discover Lewis County, the county’s online tourism web site, and the WSU Extension Office, where he believes there could be more user-based fees.

Lewis County Assessor Dianne Dorey also weighed in on the topic, saying there are positives and negatives with both systems of government. Dorey, who has spent 42 years working in the county courthouse, has been around for a manager before. She worked with Larry Keeton, who was the chief of staff for the county before that position was eliminated in 2007.

“I have no control over public works or the commissioners’, office and truth be told, they don’t have control over me either, so the bottom line is we have to make sure we are working together to make this a better place for all of us,” she said. “I don’t know if a county manager is going to make that happen. Maybe they can.”

Dorey suggested having an executive who didn’t have to answer directly to the county commissioners, but instead had a stake with the other elected officials as a group. 

The major concern brought up during the meeting was managing the budget. Treasurer Arny Davis said a seasoned executive could go through each line item of the budget and make the difficult decisions that are sometimes necessary. 

“I don’t give my opinion a lot of value based on my limited experience, but with that being said, there are pros and cons to both,” Davis said. “If I had to lean and make a decision, I would go with the manager, but I have my caveats.”

He said in order to draw good talent with the expertise needed to manage the complexities of the job, a higher salary would need to be offered. Each of the three commissioners currently absorb more than $100,000 in salaries and benefits. 



 

On Wednesday, the task force spoke with the appointed county administrator in Clallam County. Administrator Jim Jones Jr. has been in his role for 11 years and works with a three-member partisan council. 

Clallam County changed its governing form in 1978, he said. 

Jones walked the task force through his day-to-day responsibilities and reflected on the pros and cons of his county’s structure. 

With about 20 different governing structures for counties in Washington state, Clallam County has the nation’s only elected community development director, which Jones said has led to some problems. He also said one of the biggest mistakes of the Clallam charter are personnel policies that elected officials and their chief deputies are exempt from. He also said he wishes the county would have created a financial department for the ease and efficiency of operating.

Responsible for daily operations, Jones said staffing is the largest issue he deals with. 

He spends much of his day talking with different departments “trying to catch issues before they become problems.”

He said while the commissioners are “shaking hands and kissing babies,” he is in the courthouse to deal with any issues that may arise. 

Jones, 64, is considering retirement. When asked if his job is necessary, he replied, “Oh God, yes.”

“You’d never get by without my job,” Jones said. “… I’m here because stuff happens and you cannot trust day-to-day operations with all the resulting liabilities to part-time elected officials and even full-time elected officials that don’t have the expertise to understand how important that is. Someone has to look at the overall picture.” 

Jones also weighed in on whether an appointed or elected executive would be better. He said for a county like Clallam, which is similar in size to Lewis County and has a similar number of government employees, he recommends an appointed official because that individual would be hired for their experience, while an elected executive could be anyone. 

As the meeting wrapped up, Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund provided the task force with a breakdown of how she spends her time, something she said varied on a month to month basis. 

Next week the task force will dive further into the budget. 

The task force plans to begin formulating its recommendations to the commissioners next week.