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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018/05/22 - Regular BOARD OF MASON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS Mason County Commission Chambers, 411 North 5"' Street, Shelton, WA May 22, 2018 1. Call to Order—The Chairperson called the regular meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance — Rob Drexler led the flag salute. 3. Roll Call — Present: Commissioner District 1 - Randy Neatherlin; Commissioner District 2— Kevin Shutty; Commissioner District 3 —Terri Drexler. 4. Correspondence and Organizational Business 4.1 Correspondence 4.1.1 Janice Loomis and Joseph Moore sent in applications for the Mason County Board of Equalization. 4.1.2 Jean Bray sent in comments on the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) Grant. 4.1.3 Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board sent liquor license applications for The Tides Restaurant 27061 US Highway 101, Hoodsport, Hood Canal Highland Celtic Festival Committee 3151 State Route 300 Belfair, and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers 3680 Northeast Old Belfair Highway, Belfair. 4.1.4 Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board sent a marijuana license application for Cannabis CO-OP 431 WA 3, Shelton. 4.2 News Release: Request for Proposal Homeless Housing Grant Funds Staff: Todd Parker 4.3 Public Works bid award information. Staff: Loretta Swanson 4.4 News Release: Eells Hill Transfer Station half day closure. Staff: Bart Stepp 5. Open Forum for Citizen Input— No comments 6. Adoption of Agenda - Cmmr. Shutty/Drexler moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as published. Motion carried unanimously. N-aye; S-aye; D-aye. 7. Approval of Minutes— May 8 and May 15, 2018 Regular meeting minutes Cmmr. Drexler/Shutty moved and seconded to approve the May 8th and May 15, 2018 Regular meeting minutes. Motion carried unanimously. N-aye; S-aye; D-aye. 8. Approval of Action Agenda: 8.1 Approval to set a Public Hearing on June 12, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. to update ordinance 123-08, building fee schedule, to acknowledge requirements set by HB1622 effective July 1, 2018. 8.2 Approval of Warrants Claims Clearing Fund Warrant #s 8056145-8056530 $ 1,161,633.84 Direct Deposit Fund Warrant #s $ Salary Clearing Fund Warrant #s $ Total $ 1,161,633.84 8.3 Approval of Amendment 2 to Consolidated Contract #CLF18253 between Mason County Public Health and The State of Washington Department of Health. 8.4 Approval to waive the 60-day waiting period for WA State Department Transportation (WADOT) property that WADOT is surplussing. This is for parcel 12332-50-00027 and in compliance with RCW 47.12.055 and RCW 43.17.400. 8.5 Approval to terminate the contract between Mason County and Housing Opportunities for Students in Transition (HOST), contract #HOST-2017.1 BOARD OF MASON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS May 22, 2018 - PAGE 2 8.6 Approval of the resolution changing the approval process for Private Line Occupancy Permits and Franchise renewals. Cmmr. Drexler/Shutty moved and seconded to approve action items 8.1 through 8.6 with the removal of 8.5. Motion carried unanimously. N-aye; S-aye; D-aye. 8.5 Todd Parker read a statement regarding the HOST program and the reasoning behind the contract cancellation. In the statement he explained that this is due to a lack of communication, accountability and non-compliance. He said HOST is eligible to reapply for the next cycle. Cmmr. Neatherlin allowed several questions to be asked of Todd and the HOST contract. Cmmr. Shutty asked Todd to speak to the process and training that the County offers to applicants. Todd answered that there is an orientation and the opportunity to present their proposal to a board that can give feedback before submission. This is a service and is not mandatory. He added that this training goes over budgets, requirements, etc. HOST did not attend these available sessions. Cmmr. Shutty then asked Todd if the standard was the same for all recipients of the funds. Todd answered that it is. Public Testimony: (Note:only two people signed in, so many speakers may have no stated names or misspelled names) Laura Weed, a therapist in Shelton spoke against the HOST contract termination. She stated that this program needs to stay and that she would not remain quiet if termination was granted. Edward (no last name given) read from the City of Shelton Comprehensive Plan, housing chapter. He spoke about his own housing issues as a youth in Shelton and asked the Board to make sure they were doing everything possible before cutting funding. Peter Jones, the Chair of HOST, stated that he understands the issues at hand. He admitted that the County withheld payment until records were caught up in March, adding he believes the County may have given their notice to HOST in a questionable manner. Peter said they originally asked for $100,000 to both assist with the waitlist and to hire another case manager. He then discussed the amount of work necessary for this grant. Peter said he would like to take a list of names after the meeting for volunteers to assist with the paperwork, admitting that since March, he has been the one responsible for not reporting due to his caseload. During this contract cycle, 45 children have been assisted and the program is currently being used as an example to teach other Counties. He asked that the Board either table this item or consider a less extreme remedy. Cmmr. Shutty questioned how HOST stayed open with no funding from the County until March. Peter explained that they ran very close to running out of funds. Cmmr. Neatherlin questioned how Peter can guarantee the same issues will not come up. Peter asked to postpone the vote for two weeks to begin the necessary items, and said he would not raise an objection if termination was granted after this postponement. Jesus Acosta graduated from Choice High School and worked with HOST while in school. He talked about his personal experience and how it shaped his future and has helped him get into college. BOARD OF MASON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS May 22, 2018 - PAGE 3 Marie (last name unknown) said that anger and removing funding from HOST is the wrong answer. She was a homeless youth and did not know about HOST at the time. She asked to find a working solution and supported tabling the conversation while examples of improvement could be found. Diva Roberts graduated from Choice Alternative High School and currently works at Choice. She recognized that accountability is important, especially when it comes to funding. Diva then spoke about her own past and the current reality of some of the kids in HOST. Becky (last name unknown) also works at Choice Alternative School as a registrar and talked about some of the incoming kids that benefit from this program. Amy Doering works for Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) and discussed how the HOST program is unique and has changed lives. She spoke to how little money the program runs on versus the return on investment in the kids. She said if the program is terminated, the kids being assisted will end up in the court system, ultimately costing the County more money. Julianne (last name unknown) works for Community Based Services. She first thanked the Board for taking testimony from the public adding that HOST does not only help youth, but also assists other homeless programs. She suggested changing the reporting requirements for smaller groups on the next grant cycle to make it easier. Carrie (last name unknown) works at Choice and spoke about the positive outcomes from those who have received assistance with HOST. Steve Andrewski told a story he heard about a homeless student from a former Principal in the Shelton School District. He touched on how difficult it is for a child to be homeless and to get through school. Steve asked to streamline the process for reporting requirements. Brianna Sheets talked about the kids who get lost without programs such as HOST. Sascha Fischel works for the Shelton School District as the homeless liaison and is also the Vice President of the Host program. He addressed his job and the large impact of this program. HOST is currently the only program in Mason County that assists unsupported youth. He submitted handwritten letters to the Board from some youth within the program. Mia (last name unknown) worked with Juvenile Services in Nevada, and praised the work done by the HOST program in Mason County. Elizabeth Hamilton, a current councilor at Choice High School, is also a former Social Worker with DSHS. She addressed the different ways she has seen HOST assist kids. Cmmr. Drexler thanked everybody for coming to the meeting and to those that testified. She spoke to the program as a whole, and addressed the necessity of the paperwork. She explained that the reporting is necessary to decide what funding needs to go where. Without reporting from HOST, they are unable to gain knowledge on how many people have been helped both with placement and funding. Cmmr. Shutty noted that the possibility of termination is not reflective of the feelings towards the program from the Board. He spoke towards the lack of communication and said he hopes that BOARD OF MASON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS May 22, 2018 - PAGE 4 can change after all of the previous chances. He voiced his concern in tabling the item with only 5 weeks left in the current cycle, noting that accountability is critical. Cmmr. Neatherlin defended the actions of staff and the work they have put into the contract. He spoke to his personal issues in his youth and the stories told during public testimony. Cmmr. Neatherlin said he would be in favor of tabling this item for two weeks because he feels that all of the people present would hold the HOST staff accountable. Cmmr. Drexler/Neatherlin motioned and seconded to table item 8.5 until Tuesday, June 5, 2018 Cmmr. Shutty voiced his concerns with placing more work on staff, noting that he would prefer reporting be done before June 51h. He asked staff if the proposed timeframe is realistic and if the necessary paperwork has been communicated to HOST. Todd answered that June 5th is reasonable, adding that the missing work has been addressed. He offered to meet with HOST staff if needed. Motion carried unanimously. N-aye; S-aye; D-aye. 9. Other Business (Department Heads and Elected Officials) 10. 6:30 p.m. Public Hearings and Items set for a certain time— No hearings. 11. Board's Reports and Calendar -The Commissioners reported on meetings attended the past week and announced their upcoming weekly meetings. 12. Adjournment—The meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ATTEST: MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON Me revery, k of the Board Ra5Kfy Neatherlin, Chair f Terri Drexler, Commissioner 1 Kevin Sh ommissioner