Charter Review Committee Meets Orcas this Saturday

Feb. 4  Meeting Considered  County Departments’ Consolidation

From the Charter Review Commission

The next meeting of the San Juan County Charter Review Commission (CRC) is on Saturday February 11 at the Orcas Hotel from 8 a.m. to 3pm (with a break for lunch).  Public input is welcomed and there is time set aside to hear your comments at 8 a.m., and again at 12 p.m. (after lunch).  At this meeting the CRC will hear presentations from former County Council Member and freeholder Gene Knapp, State Senator Kevin Ranker, and current County Council Members Patty Miller and Richard Fralick (also a former freeholder).

The CRC is charged with reviewing the Charter “to determine its adequacy and suitability to the needs of the County.”  Changes that they propose will be put on the ballot for the public to vote on in November.

At their last meeting the CRC heard presentations from County Treasurer Jan Sears, Assessor Charles Zalmanek and former County Clerk (and current CR Commissioner) Mary Jean Cahail on the issue of consolidating county departments and appointing positions that are currently elected.  All of the presenters spoke against both the consolidation of departments and converting from elected to appointed positions.  County Auditor Milene Henley was also in attendance and spoke in favor of potentially consolidating at least the customer service aspects of the Auditor and Treasurer’s offices.

The schedule of meetings through March can be found at the CRC website (www.sanjuanco.com/committees/charterreview). The February 18meeting will be at the San Juan Grange from 8am to 2pm.  You can also find documents relevant to the Charter review process on the CRC website.  Members of the public are encouraged to attend CRC meetings and to contact any member of the Commission to voice their opinions (contact information is also available at the website).