The Thurston County Board of Commissioners has unanimously passed a resolution placing a measure on the ballot for November’s general election to expand the size of the board from three to five members.
Should the measure pass with majority approval, two additional commissioners would be elected during the November 2023 general election.
Under the plan, commissioners would continue serving four-year terms, with the new Position 4 seat serving a one-year term while the person elected to Position 5 would serve five years to create staggered elections. The push for an expanded board is a collaborative effort with the Port of Olympia, which is expected to place a similar measure on the November ballot expanding the Olympia Port Commission from three to five members.
“Following the joint resolution with the Port of Olympia approved in the fall of 2021, this is the next step in the process. This has been a collaborative effort with the Port of Olympia, and it is expected they will take similar action to place a ballot measure during the general election to expand their board from three to five,” said County Manager Ramiro Chavez.
The chair of the Board of County Commissioners and the chair of the Port of Olympia will work with the Thurston County auditor to create new commissioner districts. The new maps will be drawn to ensure each district has as close to one-fifth of the total county population as possible. The newly drawn maps will be adopted by the board no later than Monday, March 13, 2023.
