HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026/03/31 - Regular Board of Mason County Commissioners
Proceedings
Commission Chambers
411 N 5th St, Shelton, WA 98584
yzr�if,{ March 31, 2026
1. Call to Order—The Chairperson called the regular meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
2. Pledge of Allegiance—led the flag salute.
3. Roll Call—Present: Commissioner District 1 —Randy Neatherlin; Commissioner District 2—
Pat Tarzwell;Absent: Commissioner District 3—Sharon Trask.
4. Correspondence and Organizational Business
4.1 Correspondence
4.1.1 Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board sent in the following notice of liquor license
application from Patches LLC,Lilliwaup Store LLC,and Faith in Action South Sound.
4.1.2 Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board sent in the following notice of special
occasion liquor license applications from The McReavy House Museum of Hood Canal
and Summit Pacific Medical Foundation.
4.1.3 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC)sent in a letter regarding the February 19,
2026,Board of Consultants meeting summary and extension of time request.
4.1.4 Correspondence was received regarding the Timberland Regional Library Board of
Trustees from Hillary Fazzari, Shirley&Larry Fazarri,Lisa Marie Gray,Kylie
McQuarrie, Sean Thomas Nickerson,Elizabeth Ostendorf,Mary Prophit,Jen Rinehart,
Lisa A Schuster,John Tafejian,Kathleen Kelly,Nim Ninuner,Luis F.Camacho
Plascencia,Rachel Raadt,and Susan Ackerman.
4.2 Ian Tracy read the On-Site Sewage Advisory Committee(OSAC)Vacancies news release.
4.3 Will Harris presented the Flags of Our Founding Fathers project.
4.4 Kayla Brinckmeyer presented the Mason County&Shelton CTE Job Shadow Program Student
Reports&Certificates:Information&Technology—Sam Areopogita,Chad Bullard;Public
Safety:Andrea Fogo,Emily Keith;Auditor—Abby Escobedo,AJ Wier;County Leadership:
Ayanna Juarez,Alex German.
5. Open Forum for Citizen Input
Joel Warnock,New Hope Assembly of God,gave a word of thanks and provided a blessing.
Jeff Kulawiak provided testimony in support of the 2026 Olympus Rally(April 17-19,2026),
highlighting the event's positive contributions in 2025. Jeff included a brief summary of
economic impact and visitor engagement associated with the rally,one of the longest-running
events in the county.
6. Adoption of Agenda
Cmmr.Neatherlin/Tarzwell moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as published.Motion
carried unanimously.Neatherlin-aye; Tarzwell-aye;Trask-absent.
7. Approval of Minutes
Cmmr.Neatherlin/Tarzwell moved and seconded to adopt the March 16 and 23,2026,Briefing
Minutes and March 17,2026,Regular Minutes as presented.Motion carried unanimously.
Neatherlin-aye;Tarzwell-aye;Trask-absent.
8. Approval of Action Agenda
8.1 Approval of Warrants and Treasurer Electronic Remittances
Claims Clearing Fund Warrant#8119741-8120007 $1,515,637.19
Direct Deposit Fund Warrant# 124663-125070 $ 986,923.67
Salary Clearing Fund Warrant#7009571-7009597 $ 627,379.38
8.2 Approval of the temporary take-home vehicle assignment for Richard Dickinson effective April
1,2026,through December 31,2026.
8.3 Approval of the donation application for the installation of four benches at Foothills Park from
the Friends of Foothills Dog Park.
8.4 Approval to set a Public Hearing for Tuesday,April 28,2026,at 9:15 a.m.to consider the
withdrawal of Squaxin Island Tribe territory from the South Mason Fire District.
8.5 Approval to appoint Avary Rollins to the Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging
(LMTAAA)advisory board for a two-year term expiring March 31,2028.
8.6 Approval to accept the recommendation of the Hearing Examiner and formally acknowledge
the vacation of the right of way as petitioned by operation of law pursuant to the Session Laws
of 1889-1890,subject to the conditions contained in the Findings of Fact,Conclusions of Law
and Recommendations of the Hearing Examiner for Road Vacation No.426. (Resolution No.
2026-011)
8.7 Approval for Public Works to issue a water leak credit for customer#308132 in the amount of
$982.40,plus applicable late fees,based on verification that the leak has been repaired.
8.8 Approval for Public Works to declare the paint equipment as surplus,approve the sale to the
City of Shelton,or,if the City of Shelton declines,authorize Public Works to surplus the
equipment through other allowable methods under Mason County Code Chapter 3.40,including
public sale,auction,or other appropriate means.
8.9 Approval of the Resolution selecting the Shelton-Mason County Journal as the official County
newspaper for publishing certain legal publications. (Resolution No.2026-012)
8.10 Approval for the County Administrator to prepare a Request for Proposals(RFP)for Public
Defense services.
Cmmr.Neatherlin/Tarzwell moved and seconded to approve action items 8.1 through 8.10.
Motion carried unanimously.Neatherlin-aye;Tarzwell-aye;Trask-absent.
9. Other Business(Department Heads and Elected Officials)
Steve Dunkel,Mason County Auditor,reported on issues related to title fraud and has executed a
contract to make the Deep Freeze process available to property owners in Mason County.
10. 9:15 a.m.Public Hearings and Items Set for a Certain Time
Please see above options to provide public testimony. These options are available only while COVID-19 OPMA
meeting restrictions are in place.
10.1 Public Hearing to consider approving and executing a Franchise Agreement with Forged Fiber
37,LLC allowing the company to construct,operate,and maintain their fiber optic
telecommunication system within Mason County rights-of-way.Staff:Mike Collins(Contract
No.26-18)
Mike Collins stated that the County is considering a franchise agreement with Forged Fiber 37,
LLC(AT&T)to authorize construction,operation,and maintenance of a fiber optic
telecommunications system within Mason County rights-of-way. The agreement would apply
March 31,2026 I Page 2 of 3
to all county roads within the company's designated service area and establish the terms and
conditions for use of public rights-of-way.
Public Testimony:
Elizabeth Walker spoke on behalf of Forged Fiber 37,LLC(an AT&T subsidiary),in support
of the request to approve the franchise agreement.She explained that the purchase includes
currently installed fiber optic infrastructure and expressed appreciation to County staff for their
collaboration and assistance throughout the process.
Cmmr.Neatherlin/Tarzwell moved and seconded to approve the Franchise Agreement
with Forged Fiber 37,LLC allowing the company to construct,operate,and maintain
their fiber optic telecommunication system within Mason County rights-of-way.Motion
carried unanimously.Neatherlin-aye;Tarzwell-aye;Trask-absent.(MC Contract 26-018)
11. Board's Calendar and Reports—The Commissioners reported on meetings attended the past
week and announced their upcoming weekly meetings.
12. Adjournment—The meeting adjourned at 10:09 a.m.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ATTEST: MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON
McKenzie �h, Ierk of the Board Pat Tarzwell, Chair
Prepared by Cami Olson
Rai y Neatherli Vice-Chair
Absent�����
Sharon Trask,Commissioner
March 31,2026 1 Page 3 of 3