These notes were taken by an Okanogan County Watch volunteer. Every attempt is made to be accurate. Notes are verbatim when possible, and otherwise summarized or paraphrased.
Note takers comments or clarifications are in italics. These notes are not the official county record of the meeting. For officially approved minutes, which are normally published at a later time, CLICK HERE.
The time stamps refer to the times on the AV Capture archive of the meeting on this date at the County livestream archive. To locate items in real time, the clock on the wall in the AV Capture screen can be helpful.
01.08.2024 Mon AM BOCC
Meeting Highlights:
· Commissioners discuss the possibility of putting a proposal on the ballot to raise the sales tax rate .3%. The proceeds would be shared between the county and the cities and be used to fund new positions in the Sheriff’s Office, 24 hour coverage in two EMS districts and capital expenditures for rural fire districts.
· During public comments, Raven Aae tells the commissioners of her experience as a victim of stalking in the county. She asks the commissioners to create an ombudsman position so that an independent person would handle complaints against the Sheriff’s and Prosecutor’s Offices.
· Commissioners hold two executive sessions under RCW 42.30.110(1)(g)—performance of a public employee, each for 10 minutes. In the first session, Shelley Keitzman of Human Relations is invited, and in the second, Keitzman and Pete Palmer of Planning are included.
· Cari Hall, County Auditor, and Jamie Groomes, Chief Deputy Auditor, discuss how the office will process elections in the next few months. Signature checking will be done where it’s been done in the past, and the ballot processing will be done in the room where Licensing was planning to be.
· Commissioners hold an executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i)—on-going litigation involving land use for 30 minutes and extended to another 30 minutes. Albert Lin, County Prosecutor, Esther Milner Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor and two outside attorneys (Jenna Mandell-Rice and Charlene Kozki of Van Ness Feldman) are included.
Meeting adjourns at 12:33.