PORT TOWNSEND — A county charter is one of a handful of measures that will appear before Jefferson County voters on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
In addition, voters in Brinnon and Quilcene will reject or approve levy lid lifts for fire departments, while Port Ludlow and Kala Point could create their own parks districts.
Home-rule charters are permitted by the state constitution as a way for counties to provide their own forms of government that might differ from the commission form prescribed by state law.
Home-rule charters, such as that in Clallam County, also can provide the powers of initiative and referendum to the voters of their counties.
Voter approval to begin the charter process will be offered in two stages, the first to determine whether the process should be approved and whether freeholders, who would write a new charter, should be elected.
If that measure is approved, then 15 freeholders, five from each commissioner district, will be elected on the same ballot.
If voters approve the charter process, then the top five vote-getters in each district will form the freeholders panel, and the person gaining the most votes will act as chair until the panel can meet and elect a chair.
The Jefferson County Elections Division will hold a special three-day filing period from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 14-16 at the county courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St.
During that time, candidates for freeholder or either of the proposed parks districts can file.
Freeholder candidates are assessed a $25 filing fee, while there is no fee for the parks commissioner positions.
To inform candidates of the rules and responsibilities of running for public office, the Jefferson County Elections Division is sponsoring a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Monday in Superior Court chambers at the courthouse.
Candidates will be instructed about disclosure requirements and conduct regulations, Elections Supervisor Karen Cartmel said.
County Auditor Donna Eldridge and County Administrator Philip Morley will participate in the forum.
Two Jefferson County communities, Port Ludlow and Kala Point, have filed petitions to create park districts.
Each would have voters elect a five-member board that will have taxing authority and can apply for grants to support recreation programs.
Brinnon created a parks district in 2012.
Sponsors of all three parks districts have said their efforts are reactions to a proposed creation of a joint city-county metropolitan parks district.
They want to be exempt from such a district and have local control.
The earliest the joint district could go before voters would be in 2014.
The Kala Point and Port Ludlow elections follow the same two-step process as the proposed switch to a county charter system.
If voters approve the district, then the elected commissioners will be seated.
The Quilcene and Brinnon fire commissioners both approved levy lid lifts for the November ballot.
The current rate for Brinnon is 73 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, while Quilcene now collects 75 cents.
Both seek to raise the level to $1.25 per $1,000, which represents an increase of $100 per year for a $200,000 home in Quilcene and $104 in Brinnon.
Both districts said the increase is needed to replace aging equipment.
If the measures pass, in Brinnon, the district’s annual revenue would rise from $195,345 to $335,510, while Quilcene’s would increase from $338,540 to $423.175, according to the Jefferson County Assessor’s Office.
All of these ballot measures require simple majorities — 50 percent plus one vote — for passage.
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
