PORT ANGELES — The review of the Clallam County charter is officially under way.
A dozen members of the recently-elected Charter Review Commission took their oaths of office and discussed procedures in their inaugural meeting Tuesday night.
The 15-member panel, also known as the Home Rule Charter Commission, will review the county’s “constitution” for government and recommend amendments to the charter that voters will consider next November.
“It’s a very interesting process,” convening member Sue Forde said during introductions Tuesday night.
“It gets government closest to the people, and that’s what I really like about it.
“It’s a chance to talk to the people, find out what they want out of county government and then try and implement that to the best of our ability.”
She added: “We have a lot of work to do this next year.”
Members were elected to the commission Nov. 4, five from each of the three county commissioner districts.
Clallam is one of seven counties in the state that operates under a home-rule charter, unlike most where procedures are dictated by the Legislature.
“The reason I keep signing up is because I find it a very interesting process, and I’m a firm believer that all of us are smarter than any one of us,” said Norma Turner, who has served on several charter review commissions.
“It’s a way of pulling the community together and figuring out what we need.”
A charter review commission is elected by Clallam County citizens every eight years.
District 1, the easternmost district in the county, is represented in the current charter review by Forde, Ken Hays, Ronald Bell, Nola Judd and Ted Miller.
The central District 2 is represented by Turner, Glenn Wiggins, Maggie Roth, Steven Burke and Selinda Barkhuis.
District 3, which stretches from Valley Creek in Port Angeles to the Pacific Ocean, is represented by Mike Doherty, Barbara Christensen, Connie Beauvais, Cheryl Williams and Rod Fleck.
Bell, Burke and Hayes were absent Tuesday. The inaugural meeting was originally scheduled for Dec. 18 but canceled late that afternoon.
Doherty, a retiring county commissioner who helped implement the charter form of government 1976 as the initial chairman of the Clallam County Board of Freeholders, was on a long-planned vacation Tuesday but participated in the meeting by phone.
The Charter Review Commission will elect officers and parliamentarians at its next meeting Jan. 5.
That meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
The 2015 county budget includes $5,100 for the charter review, County Administrator Jim Jones said.
Clallam County budgeted $10,000 for past charter reviews before the commissioners removed administrative costs.
In 2007, the actual amount spent was $1,909.95.
“And you’ll notice in 2007, the only expenditures were mileage for the commissioners who took mileage,” Jones told the charter commission Tuesday.
“So with that experience at the $1,909, we decided this year that we would budget $5,100. It would leave a little bit of cushion in case some other things came up.”
Members of the charter review will be eligible for meals and a 55.5-cent-per-mile stipend to travel to and from the twice-monthly meeting.
Trish Holden, clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, will provide primary support to the commission.
Holden and her backup, Administrative Assistant Tammy Sullenger, will be given time off from their daily duties for time spent on charter review.
“Our office is fully committed to supporting any way possible any work you need, any research you would like to have done, any documents that you want prepared,” Jones said.
“Just ask Trish or Tammy or whoever’s here during your meeting. Or if you should have questions and you want me to come in, or you want one of the commissioners to come, we will be committed to doing it.”
Mark Nichols, Clallam County prosecuting attorney, will provide legal advice to the commission.
“I’m here to rely on the institutional knowledge of the group, not get in your way, but provide help and legal advice as requested or if I see that there is a need to intercede,” Nichols said.
“That said, I’m going to try to be fairly hands off.”
Nichols offered to train charter members on public records, open public meetings and records retention as required by the 2014 Open Government Training Act.
“We need to do that within 90 days of you having assumed the oath of office,” Nichols said.
Several members of the commission already have had the training as previously-elected officials.
The Charter Review Commission will likely meet on the first and third Mondays of the month because of the availability of the meeting room.
The schedule will be finalized when the commission reconvenes next month.
Information on the charter review process is available on the Clallam County website www.clallam.net.
Click on “Board of Commissioners” and “Home Rule Charter” for the charter review home page.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
