HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/07/19 - Commission Retreat Board of Mason County Commissioners
Proceedings
Commission Chambers
411 N 5' St, Shelton, WA 98584
July 19, 2022
1. Discuss Commissioners Areas of Focus
Mark Neary explained that this is the beginning of the priority process and that the priorities of other
Elected Officials will be included. The purpose of the 2022 Project Priority List is to align the
priorities of both the Commission and its departments over a timeframe of the next two years.
Cmmr. Shutty shared that his top priorities are:re-engaging in strategic planning by utilizing County
staff and collaborating with other Elected Officials and knowing the key performance indicators for
measurement of County goals for accountability;looking at how the County plans to formalize the
legislative priority for the 2023 Legislative Session and beyond; making County planning and budget
documents more accessible,meaningful,and transparent to the public as well as making them more
useful internally;creating a budget/financial dashboard;and examining codes and Capital Facilities
Plans and making that information easy to access and understand;
Cmmr.Trask included updating County policies to make them current;using Munis throughout the
County; bettering County parks;utilizing Office 365;and making Mason County more productive,
efficient,and transparent in her priorities.
Cmmr.Neatherlin discussed meeting with departments on a more routine basis. Priorities to focus on
include bringing more services to North Mason; updating and unifying codes for building and
planning, sewer,and roads;establishing a master utility plan;concentrating on continuing to bring up
new and/or needed priorities; establishing new roads; and investing some of the excess County funds
into these priority projects. Also suggested was meeting with staff for a two-hour period after the
regular Commissioner meeting to discuss priorities.
2. Budget Office—Jennifer Beierle
l. American Rescue Plan Act(ARPA)funding distributed. The County has $13 million in ARPA
funds to distribute by 2024.
2. Chart of Accounts revision/crosswalk. The new goal for implementation is January 1,2023. Munis
will be upgraded in October of 2023,if this is not complete by that date it will have to be restarted.
The daily goal is to simplify the budget to make it more understandable. A staff person with time
and understanding of Munis specifically the Budgetary Accounting and Reporting System(BARS),
State Auditor's Office,and the current Chart of Accounts is needed. The conversion cost is$28k
and includes a"transparency"module that will allow the public to view accounts and payments.
Munis will need 45 days from the completion date of the crosswalk. Subsidiary system,such as
Odyssey and SmartGov,crosswalks also need completed. The deadline to know if the goal for
implementation will be met is September 30,2022. The Commissioners would like to be briefed on
this about twice a month.
3. Position control.
4. Consolidate MP department into Facilities.
5. Consolidate Murder Expense department into Non-Departmental.
6. Revisions to the Purchasing Policy.
7. Motor Pool written policy and procedures.
8. ExecuTime purchase and implementation. ExecuTime can be implemented once the Chart of
Accounts crosswalk is complete. This will help departments such as the Sheriff's Office, Facilities,
Public Health,and Public Works move away from the Excel timesheets.
9. Help Public Works and Health departments transition to Munis modules.
3. Central Services Administration—Diane Zoren
1. Streamline a eg nda process. The amended Operating Guidelines will be briefed in August and will
include Briefing and Regular meetings requiring documents to be submitted only once. If approved
in Briefing,the item will be moved forward by the Clerk of the Board. Departments need to ensure
all proper reviews(legal,human resources,budget,etc.)have been done and a new Agenda Request
Form has been created. Only one paper copy will be necessary. Cmmr.Neatherlin asked about a
checklist for individuals to use when their Briefing item needs additional information before it can
move forward. Cmmr.Trask and Cmmr. Shutty discussed late packets. Loretta Swanson asked if
certain items,for example Private Line Occupancy Permits, could be given to an administrator to
process and report on. Cmmr.Neatherlin would like all items that concern legislative authority or
County business to go before the Board.
2. Public records mana eg ment. 25 boxes have been sent to State Archives. Staff will continue to
purge and archive paper and electronic records.
3. Expand use of Laserfiche. Utilize Laserfiche to its fullest.
4. Train backup for Lodging Tax process.
5. Succession planning. Train employee(s)on Current Use, Lodging Tax,etc. to plan for staff
retirement in 2023/2024.
6. Create policy and procedures for all Central Services departments.
4. Community Development—Kell Rowen
1. Provide monthly reports to Commission. The goal is to brief monthly on permits,financials,and
turnaround times. Permit applicants are asked to bring items in digitally to help with efficiency.
Cmmr. Trask asked for a timeline and a workflow between departments.
2. Scanning project phase one. ARPA funds are being requested to hire two additional temporary
staff. Phase 1 is identifying record types,retention schedules,retention locations,and naming
conventions. Phase 2 is cleaning out parcel files and placing names on documents to tell scanner
what/where/when. Phase 3 is scanning. Currently between Phase 1 and 2. 1T has been included
regarding equipment and cloud storage which would cost around$100,000. Hiring a company to
do scanning may not be ideal due to the vast number of records types but it will be looked into.
3. Scanning project phase two.
4. Scanning project phase three.
5. Revise and adopt Capital Facilities Plan and Six-Year Capital Improvement Plan. The Capital
Facilities Plan will be a 20-year plan with a six-year Capital Improvement Plan as a separate
document that can be updated annually.
6. Continue in-house training in the Building department. Training is Wednesday mornings.
7. Begin in-house training with the Permit Assistance Center.
8. Continue the Process Improvement Group.
9. Start formal SmartGov improvement group. Monthly SmartGov meetings are held and now include
Public Works,IT,Environmental Health,and Public Health staff. Bringing in a staff member from
SmartGov temporarily is also being looked into.
10. Bring in SmartGov service in-house.
11. Other. Kell is also looking at prioritizing regulating short-term rentals and county-wide impact
fees. Money will be received from the State next June to update the Comprehensive Plan which is
due by the end of 2025.
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5. Emergency Management-John Taylor
1. Emergency Operations Center(EOC)upgrade. This would put an Emergency Operations Center in
North Mason. Currently in negotiations with North Mason Fire Chief Beau Bakken to train staff to
activate the EOC. Wildfire season is coming up which is a challenge for Mason County. About a
month after fire season ends,winter storm season begins. Another concern is keeping equipment
up to date. Cmmr. Shutty would like this to be brought forward as a request using General Funds.
2. CMFE standby generator.
3. WM fire radios.
4. DEM Zoleo.
5. DEM emergency and disaster communications trailer.
6. DEM antennas for communications trailers.
7. NMRFA radio tower fiber connection.
8. NMRFA water tower generator.
9. Sheriff's Office Autel Robotics EVO 11.
10. DEM smart TVs and stands.
6. Facilities & Grounds-Kelly Frazier
1. Building 10 phase 2. When COVID restrictions are ended,the interior needs to be completed.
Phase 1.5 is days away from being done. An architect was selected.
2. Relocate facilities staff and fleet out of Mel property. Alternative locations are being considered.
Mark added that there is a need for a bigger elections space as well and asked if the County wants
to maintain a County"campus".
3. Security system for all downtown County campuses. This would include updating panic buttons
and security system that would be compatible with County key cards for about$3,000.
4. New roofs for Building 6, 7, 8,and the Church-House. Priority would be Building 8, 7,6,and the
Church-House buildings roofs.
5. Create a downtown trainingroom.oom. Once the modular is open,that can become the training room or
a potential space for ballot processing.
7. Information Technology-Todd Cannon
1. Replace information system technician.
2. Backbone switch up r�ade. Fully set up and partially implemented. Will be completed about mid-
August on a weekend and will be a total County outage including phones,MACECOM,patrol cars,
etc. It has been tested multiple times and is anticipated to go smoothly. Server speed will increase
by 1 Ox and will help optimize the network and expand that coverage to the whole County.
3. Multifactor authentication. This was mandated by insurance and will begin being tested by staff in
early August.
4. Computer replacement development. About 18 left to replace.
5. Internet redundancy. Has been signed with PUD but is not tapped into County network yet but
should be done end of August.
6. Develop policies.
7. Computer management system. Still being looked into.
8. Cybersecurity testing and training.
9. Continue migration of service to . og_v.
10. Other. Microsoft 365 will be implemented next year and is penciled in to the budget. Staff has
been learning about that program in their free time. Users will be rolled in by department.
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8. Parks & Trails—John Taylor
1. Latimers dock replacement. Parking is very limited and parking meters have been discussed. A lot
of use is commercial. Cmmr.Neatherlin suggested partnering with the shellfish companies to
replace the dock to recoup funds. Cmmr. Shutty mentioned a launch permit for commercial users
was discussed in the past, looking into creating a metropolitan parks district,or evaluating a similar
program to put the option to donate to County parks on the property tax bills. Cmmr. Trask would
like to bring the commercial businesses into the conversation.
2. MCRA lean to at shop.
3. Mason Lake dock deck replacement.
4. Oakland Bay road rebuild. Cmmr. Shutty asked if the gravel road could be converted to chip seal.
5. Oakland Bay speed bump installation.
6. Sunset Bluff gate entry.
7. Field groomer.
8. Pitching machine replacement. Four pitching machines and one ball elevator. Cmmr.Neatherlin
asked if any of the machines could be put in North Mason.
9. Other. A Recreation and Conservation Office(RCO)grant is being pursued, however updated
costs for Sandhill and Union will be large. The grant will only cover about a fifth of the project.
Baseball and softball fields are not built for soccer. Having a field could expand the possibility of
hosting flag football and adult soccer leagues. Artificial turf requires about the same maintenance
as regular fields and will need to be replaced in about seven to eleven years.
9. Public Health—Dave Windom
1. Bring WIC and Women's Health Clinic back to south Mason. WIC closed last fall due to COV1D
and is being done virtually and serviced out of Thurston County. In-person services will begin the
first of the year. A three-part request has been submitted which includes Mason County, Mason
Health, and the YMCA.
2. Evergreen Estates. Hook up areas around the old Blevins trailer court to City sewer and water.
This area has the highest nitrate levels in the County. The first phase is to get connection to the
property line,then grant money will be applied for to hook up to each individual home. Evergreen
Estates is owned by a co-op,the co-op owns the ground while the individual home owner owns the
home.
3. Explore options for Capital projects. Public Health and Community Development are running out
of room. New staff focusing on chronic disease,such as diabetes or obesity,will not fit in the
current building.
4. SmartGov staffiniz.
5. Eliminate briefing for filling_openings in existing positions.
6. Create code enforcement section.
7. Build new County website. The"life stories"contract ends the end of the year. The new website
would include housing and substance use coalitions on an interactive and community-based forum-
style website.
8. Rebrand Public Health post-COVID. Include more of a focus around chronic disease.
9. Create employee recognitionprogram.
10. Implement COlmty-wide electronic employee evaluation process.
11. Analyze all non-represented positions.
12. Review, adjust, and adopt a 2015 drought response plan. Feeds into work being done with the
Squaxin Island Tribe. Four bills are being tracked that will add to the Growth Management Act
around water,climate change, and drought. The drought response plan was generated in 2015 but
never adopted. It will be updated.
13. Review and adopt organization of the Board of Health.
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14. Transition staffing. Move staff from COVID-focused work to other work while maintaining a
COVID response team. Foundational Public Health Services may provide funding for an
epidemiologist.
15. Inventory public water systems and incorporate into Capital Facilities section of the Comprehensive
Plan.
16. Implement a drinking water section into County code.
17. Other. High priority is finishing the Memorandum of Agreement(MOA)with Squaxin Island
Tribe. Permitium offers a service which will allow constituents to order birth and death certificates
online. Cmmr. Shutty added that focus will be returning to substance abuse,behavioral health,and
crisis stabilization. The operations side is often the challenge,not capital facilities. The push is for
a stabilization facility in Mason County. Between Thurston and Mason Counties,there are only
150 involuntary commitment beds and no involuntary crisis stabilization beds. Mark added that
Public Health and Community Development are being split into their own departments.
10. Public Works—Loretta Swanson
1. Improve efficiencies.
2. Roads. E Agate Road is complete;Mason Lake Road paving project will be awarded on July 22;
Sunnyside Road is being chip sealed now;California Road is next for gravel conversion;Kelly Hall
Road right-of-way is another for gravel conversion;North Shore,Cady Creek culvert will be
installed next week;North Shore,Great Bend culvert will be done week of August 15; Belfair
Tahuya culvert at milepost 6.6 will have a road closure; Uncle John's upper culvert will be finished
this week; Uncle John's lower culvert is being discussed with Fish and Wildlife and the tribe due to
concerns on the proposed box culvert; Harstine Island bridge deck overlay; clear zone projects—
Kamilche,Highland,Arcadia,Matlock-Brady will be opened on July 22;Log Yard Road,Romance
Hill Road,and Rasor Road proposals are being worked on for right-of-way dedications;and John's
Prairie/State Route 3 (SR-3)intersection has a design to move about 100,000 cubic yards of
material to put in an s-curve up to that intersection.
3. Operations and maintenance. Oak Park Road was repaved; Sandhill/SR-3 light have been installed
and brush has been cut back;nine locations on North Shore Road were worked on in the winter and
spring to improve drainage;Coulter Creek needs 200' of road raised in front of the fish hatchery;
paperwork has been signed for the two slides out Pickering for FEMA to fund the repairs; Cole
Road railroad crossing needs cut and patched;shoulder work out Harstine Island;Goldsborough
bridge needs deck and paving work;Highland-Dayton box culvert needs paving; and Union
drainage improvements will be done late fall and chip seal next year. Loretta added that Mike will
be putting together a more robust plan for the Annual and Six-Year programs with more detail and
a focus on need. Cmmr.Neatherlin would like an emphasis on new roads.
4. Skokomish.
5. Eguipment rental and revolving(ER&R).
6. Solid Waste. A response from Environmental Health is needed on the tech memo from Parametrix
for the post landfill closure. Upcoming projects include mowing brush,decommissioning gas and
groundwater monitoring wells,and the buy-off on monitoring questions. The Comprehensive Solid
Waste Management Plan will be updated next year. Both the solid waste and utilities websites need
updated.
7. Utilities. Codes,rates,and rate structures need updated. For Beard's Cove:AC pipe replacement,
water meters,and meter setters;Belfair: clearing alders,ultraviolet(UV)maintenance,and updating
lift stations one and three;Rustlewood reservoir maintenance,electrical upgrades and improvement
for the reservoir pumping system,pressure reducing valve(PRV)replacement,and testing for the
new nutrient permit for all Puget Sound dischargers; and North Bay general sewer plant(GSP)
update,Lakeland pump station pump and control panel,
8. Administration and finance.
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9. Other. The number one priority is filling open positions. Contracting with Teresa D Johnson, CPA
has been a big help. Cmmr. Shutty suggested summer internship programs and partnering with
local schools and colleges. Revamping the County website has been discussed during the IT
Steering Committee meetings. Cmmr. Trask would like to see a link on information for the Freight
Corridor and other Mason County projects on the County website.
11. Wrap-Up
1. Cmmr.Neatherlin asked to make the online Commissioner's packet easier and suggested having it
as a PDF document.
2. Mark plans to meet individually with Elected Officials to discuss their priorities.
12. Adjourned at 3:27 p.m.
!i BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ATTEST: MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Kevin Shutty,9fiair
McKenzie Sm , Cle X of the Board
Sharon Trask, ice-Chair
Ra y Neatherlin, ommissioner
611uly 19 , 2022 Commission Minutes