Members of Lewis County's Blue Ribbon Task Force on county government pictured in the first week of May during a meeting at the Lewis County Courthouse. Members in attendance included Lee Grose, left, Larry McGee, Anil Puri and Tony Briggs along with Steve Walton, county central services director and a staff liaison to the group, and county Commissioner Edna Fund. Task force member Lonnie Willey is not pictured.
Lewis County’s “blue ribbon” task force on county government began its work Wednesday morning with a philosophical question from chairman Larry McGee.
“How do we measure whether something’s better? What does it mean to be better?” McGee asked.
The question is not as easy to answer as it is to ask, he said.
Members of the recently created task force dove headfirst Tuesday and Wednesday mornings this week into learning about how Lewis County’s government currently works, and identifying a list of objectives for their work and questions to answer in the coming weeks.
The panel, made up of McGee, vice chairman Lee Grose, Anil Puri, Tony Briggs and Lonnie Willey, is tasked with meeting for six weeks to research the positives and negatives of pursuing a home rule charter, which would replace the commission with a council, and the possible hiring of a county administrator or executive.
Willey, the mayor of Pe Ell, said Wednesday that he was struggling with the discussion on changes to the county’s government.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. “I don’t see a situation. That’s why I’m struggling with this. Why change it? I don’t see any reason to change what seems to be working.”
Grose, a former county commissioner, noted that the panel could recommend the county commission maintain the status quo.
“I think if you were to go out and question the 40,000 registered voters in Lewis County, I think you, maybe, maybe could find 2,000, maybe 3,000, who really have any clue what’s going on in Lewis County,” he said. “I think the issue’s been raised by some people who do have some concerns, which is legitimate.”
Tuesday’s meeting began with a discussion between panel members and Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund about the challenges faced by the commission and the county.
The county budget, flooding projects and economic development take up a large percentage of commissioners’ time, she said. Commissioners have also spent a good deal of time so far this year attempting to secure funding for various projects from state Legislature, she said.
Puri asked Fund what percentage of time commissioners spend on county financials, management of the county and strategic planning. Fund said she would get back to the group with that information.
After the panel finished asking Fund questions, Lewis County Director of Central Services Steve Walton gave an overview of the county’s organizational structure. Budget Manager Becky Butler took the panel through a summary of the county’s 2017 budget.
“The goal today is to give you the 30,000-foot view of the process,” Walton said.
On Wednesday, the group discussed what conclusions they had drawn so far from research into other county governments in the state, and into Lewis County’s up to that point. They identified questions they still need answered, criteria by which to judge the commission’s performance, and how that performance might be improved by a new structure of government.
Members discussed how counties often begin the home rule charter process after allegations of fraud or poor management, or because of poor communication.
Having a larger county council and a county administrator or executive could give elected officials more time for long-term planning, panelists suggested. They also noted that a county executive might have more expertise in running the day-to-day operations of a large government than an elected councilor.
“It seems to me they’re too wrapped up in the day-to-day putting out fires,” Puri said of the county commissioners.
Lewis County had a “chief of staff” position similar to a county administrator until 2007. After that position was eliminated, the board created a position for a staff member to act as a liaison between department heads and the commission.
Grose said Tuesday the liaison position was poorly defined and not successful. The county was also faced with severe budget cuts at the time.
“It wasn’t something I thought we could afford at the time,” he said.
Grose also took the opportunity Tuesday to ask if “turmoil,” reported among the commissioners last year, was resolved.
Last year, former county Commissioner Bill Schulte faced complaints by former clerk of the board Karri Muir. Schulte was also accused of being hostile toward his fellow commissioners. He did not run for re-election in 2016.
Muir has since filed a tort claim for $300,000 in damages. An investigation by a consultant paid for by the county found no discriminatory action against Muir took place.
“Last year was a very difficult year,” Fund told the group. “I would not want to repeat it.”
However, she said she and fellow commissioners Bobby Jackson and Gary Stamper have a good working relationship. She said the presence of a county manager, in her opinion, would not have mitigated the previous commission’s problems.
The group also discussed open public meetings issues arising from the commission form of government. When two of the three commissioners meet, there is a quorum and the meeting must be public.
They also discussed reading dozens of Chronicle news articles and opinion pieces published in the past few years about the county commission.
“What I’ve learned from that is The Chronicle is very biased against the county,” Grose said.
At next week’s 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday meetings, the board plans to hear from speakers such as former Cowlitz County commissioner Axel Swanson about the home rule process and talk to current elected officials in Lewis County, besides the commissioners.
