PORT ANGELES — At least two Clallam County commissioners support posting background information online for consent agenda items.
County Treasurer Selinda Barkhuis said Tuesday the absence of publicly available material that corresponds with the consent agenda, especially budget modifications, represents a “complete lack of transparency.”
“I want you to be aware that all the public has available to it is the actual agenda, not any of the items that are attached,” Barkhuis told commissioners during the public comment portion of their Tuesday meeting.
“I would, in particular, point out that none of the budget modifications are attached either.”
Complete meeting packets, which are posted every Thursday for the next week’s board meeting, are usually chock-full of contracts and other materials that correspond to action items.
But due to a lack of scheduled action items for this week’s meeting, the packet was left blank except for the statement: “The January 5, 2016 agenda only contains consent agenda items for action. They have traditionally not been scanned and included in the packet.”
Items on the consent agenda were the ratification of vouchers for Dec. 21 to Dec. 25, payroll for a period ending Dec. 15, budget modifications for Dec. 14 to Dec. 31 and workers’ compensation expenditures for November.
Postponed action
Commissioners Mike Chapman and Mark Ozias agreed to postpone those items until next week’s meeting to allow the public to review the material online.
Commissioner Bill Peach was absent Tuesday because he was serving with the state Board of Natural Resources in Olympia.
“As long as there’s no confidential personnel information or anything like that, I see no reason why we shouldn’t put as much information out as possible,” Ozias said during his first business meeting as a newly elected commissioner.
Chapman agreed that even routine documents should be made available to the public.
“It certainly is a problem that the county treasurer can’t find the documents the board is intending to vote on,” Chapman said.
“So we have to fix that, and I appreciate that coming forward. I apologize that over the last decade or more, it kind of hasn’t happened. So that one’s on me.”
Said Barkhuis after the meeting: “I appreciate the board’s responsiveness, and I look forward to working with this board to restore public transparency and trust.”
Barkhuis clashed with last year’s board after commissioners approved $1.3 million in infrastructure grants to the port and city of Port Angeles without signed contracts or a budget emergency hearing.
Commissioners agreed Monday to work more collaboratively with elected county officials and department heads.
Board named
Meanwhile, Chapman and Ozias approved Tuesday the ratification of a Monday vote to name Chapman as chairman and Ozias as vice chairman of the 2016 board.
The appointments were agreed upon Monday because of Peach’s scheduled absence Tuesday.
Chapman, D-Port Angeles, is by far the longest-serving commissioner. He was first elected in 2000 and was re-elected three times.
Peach, R-Forks, has served for one year.
Ozias, D-Sequim, was sworn in Dec. 29.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
