Loading...
Minutes 2016-10-10 (2)/ Lewis County Courthouse 351 NW North Street Boar-d of'Cauirty Corjii;s?2ss ione,,rs Chehalis, WA98532-1900 LEWIS COUNTY Business Meeting Agenda Monday, October 10, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. Commissioners Hearing Room 223 Call to Order: Vice Chair Gary Stamper Determination of Quorum Flag Salute Approval of Minutes: October 3, 2016 Public Comment* (Limited to 3 minutes/person) PROCLAMATION 1. Proclamation recognizing "Fire Prevention of Lewis County Week" CONSENT 2. Resolution No. 16-271 Approval of warrants 3. Resolution No. 16-272 Declaration of certain vehicle as surplus county property. 4. Resolution No. 16-273 Rescind Resolution No. 09-362 and authorize a new cash flow loan from current expense for Packwood Airport. 5. Resolution No. 16-274 Appointing of the Clerk of the Board for the Countv Commissioners. HEARING 6. Resolution No. 16-275 Approving franchise extension to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) for construction, operation and maintenance of water lines for the Jackson Prairie Gas Storage Proiect. • THE BOARD MAYACT UPON MATTERS NOT LISTED ON THIS AGENDA. • "Written public comments may be submitted in person, by email, or regular mail to the BOCC on agenda or non -agenda items (excluding public hearing and bid award items) at anytime following publication of the meeting agenda and before adjournment of the BOCC Business Meeting. o This meeting site is barrier free; people needing special assistance or accommodations should contact the Commissioners' Office at 360-740-1120, 72 hours in advance. o Commission meetings can be viewed at LewisCountyWa.gov/bocc-meetings and on Comcast Channel 3, at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Edna J. Fund P. W. Schulte Gary Stamper Commissioner, District 1 Commissioner, District 2 Commissioner, District 3 BOCK' CALENDAR SUBJECT TO C41VCELL47ION OR MONDAY, October 10, 2016 9:00 am *BOCC Wrap Up 10:00 am *BOCC Business Meeting 11:00 am Board of Health 2:00 pm *2017 Budget Review 4:00 pm Drug Court Graduation 5:00 pm Chehalis City Council Meeting 6:00 pm Meet & Greet w/ Judge Larsen, Baw Faw Grange 6:30 pm Winlock City Council TUESDAY, October 11, 2016 6:00 pm Planning Commission 6:30 pm Napavine City Council 7:00 pm Centralia City Council WEDNESDAY, October 12, 2016 9:00 am *Directors Update 10:00 am *Update with Public Works 11:00 am *Update with Risk THURSDAY, October 13, 2016 12:00 noon EDC General Membership Meeting 6:00 pm Vader City Council Meeting FRIDAY, October 14, 2016 10:00 am Lewis County Seniors *Official BOCC Meetings (if schedule allows, meeting times may be adjusted) BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON BOARD MEETING MINUTES October 10, 2016 The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for Lewis County, Washington, met in regular session on Monday, October 10, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Commissioners Gary Stamper and Edna J. Fund were in attendance. Commissioner P.W. "Bill" Schulte was absent. Vice -Chair Stamper called the meeting to order, determined a quorum and proceeded with the flag salute. Commissioner Fund moved to approve the minutes of the 10:00 a.m., Monday, October 3, 2016 Business Meeting. Commissioner Stamper seconded the motion. Motion carried 2-0. Public Comment Human Response Network spoke regarding October being the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Bob Bozarth, Chehalis, recognized that a Lewis County employee did very well at the equipment roadeo. Erik Martin stated last week at the American Public Works Association fall conference, our one and only Matt Mohney was the grand champion. Proclamation Commissioner Fund moved to approve Proclamation Agenda items one through three. Commissioner Stamper seconded the motion. 1. Proclamation recognizing "Fire Prevention of Lewis County Week". Commissioner Fund read the Proclamation into the record. Richard Mack, Fire Marshall, Riverside Fire Authority, stated we hold a poster contest every year to recognize fire prevention week. He then announce the winners of this years contest. Motion Carried 2-0 Consent Commissioner Fund moved to approve Consent Agenda items two through five. Commissioner Stamper seconded the motion. 2. Resolution No. 16-271 Approval of warrants Grace Jimenez, Auditor Office, stated this Resolution approves 176 regular warrants for a total payment against the County in the amount of $1,210,653.62. This also approves 677 warrants/AD dated October 5, 2016 for a total payment against the county in the amount of $3,522,421.79. 3. Resolution No. 16-272 Declaration of certain vehicle as surplus county property. Erik Martin, Director of Public Works, stated Lewis County Code 3.30 requires that the Board of County Commissioners declare county property surplus to allow for its disposal.The item listed on Exhibit "A" is no longer useful to Lewis County. The vehicle has reached its useful life and has been damaged beyond reasonable repair. We recommend this vehicle to be declared surplus as salvage value. 4. Resolution No. 16-273 Rescind Resolution No. 09-362 and authorize a new cash flow loan from current expense for Packwood Airport. Lee Napier, Director of Community Development, stated a cash flow loan is required for payment of contractor prior to reimbursement from Federal Aviation Administration. Currently, Resolution No. 09-362 authorizes up to $150,000 on an as needed basis. The current project and amount due to the contractor exceeds this amount. 5. Resolution No. 16-274 Appointing of the Clerk of the Board for the County Commissioners. Archie Smith, Human Resources, stated a selection process for the position of Lewis County Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners has been completed with Rieva Lester having been identified as meeting the qualifications for the position and being the candidate of choice Motion Carried 3-0 Hearing Approving franchise extension to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) for construction, operation and maintenance of water lines for the Jackson Prairie Gas Storage Project. Commissioner Stamper introduced the hearing and asked for the Staff Report Larry Unzelman, Realestate Service Manager, stated Lewis County entered into a 49- year Franchise Agreement with Washington Water Power Company, Washington Natural Gas Company and El Paso Natural Gas Company, dated March 15, 1965, to construct, operate, maintain, and/or replace water mains with necessary service lines for the Jackson Prairie Gas Storage Project on certain roads. Puget Sound Energy E (PSE) is the Operating Agent of the Jackson Prairie Gas Storage Project, which is owned by PSE, Avista Corp. and Northwest Pipeline, GP. PSE, as Operating Agent, is authorized to enter into a new franchise agreement on behalf of itself and co -owners Avista Corp. and Northwest Pipeline. PSE has applied for a new franchise to replace the franchise granted in 1965. Resolutions 14-162, 15-258 and 16-005 extended the franchise through March 31, 2016 to allow time for further negotiation. The extensions have now lapsed and franchise negotiations have not been completed. To continue to be compliant with RCW 36.55 and Lewis County Codes 5 &12, the parties propose to extend the terms of the 1965 franchise agreement through January 10, 2017. A hearing was set by Resolution 16-243 on September 19, 2016 and all required notices were given to the public. Public Works recommends approval of the Resolution to grant an extension to PSE through January 10, 2017. Commissioner Stamper, asked if there were any questions. There were none. He closed the question and answer portion of the hearing and opened the formal hearing. Larry Unzelman and Erik Martin asked that their previous comments be adopted into the record. Commissioner Stamper, asked if there was anyone who would like to speak for or against the Resolution. There was no one. He closed the hearing and asked for a motion. Commissioner Fund moved to approve Resolution No. 16-275. Commissioner Stamper seconded the motion. Resolution No. 16-275 A hearing to consider a proposed franchise extension to Puget Sound Energy for construction, operation and maintenance of water lines for the Jackson Prairie Gas Storage Project. Motion Carried 2-0 There being no further business, the BOCC's business meeting adjourned at 10:42 a.m., October 10, 2016. The next public meeting will be held Monday, October 17, 2016. Please note that minutes from the BOCC's meetings are not verbatim. A recording of the meeting may be purchased at the BOCC's Office. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON P.W. Bill Schulte, Chair 3 ATTEST: Clerk of the Board Lewis County Commissioners �Q 5G Qp OF 9 6 1 � �C` �' ,Tyco ,sue -® '4rmao 4 Gary S amper, Vice -Chair Edna J. Fund, o 1 missioner BOCC SIGIIATURE ON REGULAR MEETINGS Date: l0l/0// U. Commissioner Clerk of the Board I certify ti,hen a �endin� other schzd>>led meetin,s and unctions shown on this calendar, where a quoru `the Boar of CoLnty Con "issioners were present; there -was no action taken. , Pursuant to RCW 42.30.070 It shall not be a violation of the requirements of this chapter for 2 majority of the members Of 2 goveming body to travel together or gather for purposes other than a regular meeting or a special meeting as these terms 2rc used in this chapter: PROVIDED, That they take no action as defined in this chapter. Board of County Commissioners NOTICE OF RECESS Lewis County Courthouse 351 NW North Street Chehalis, WA98532-1900 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners' regular meeting scheduled on October 10, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. is in recess until 9:00 a.m. O 360.740.1120 F 360.740.1475 TDD 360.740.1480 Rieva Lester, Clerk of the Board Edna J. Fund P. W. Schulte Gary Stamper Karri L. Muir, CMC First District Second District Third Disrnct Clerk of the Board bocc@lewiscountywa.gov Staff Meeting October 10, 20:16 Present: Commissioners Stamper and Fund, Rachel Hunt, Candy Hallom and CJ Neer. Guest Sheena Woods joined the meeting at 9:40 a.m. Recorder: Rieva Lester Commissioners Stamper and Fund discussed the day's planned fire prevention proclamation and went over the day's agenda. Commissioners discussed Drug Court, planned for later in the day. The group discussed the Oct. 7 Legislative Roundtable. Commissioners discussed the week's agenda. Commissioner Fund said a meeting with EDC Director Matt Matayoshi was needed to discuss moving forward on Benaroya. Commissioner Fund discussed paperwork received from the state Liquor Control Board. Meeting recessed at 9:48 a.m. Budget Departmen- t MYP771' IT!" !,o-?�e-c-itici7easezequesti,: Date: 10/10/16 start Time: 2:00 351 N W North Street Chehalis WA 98532 Present: Commissioners Edna J. Fund, Gary Stamper Steve Walton, Central Services Director; Becky Butler, Budget Services Manager; Cheryl Millman, Budget Technician; Rieva Lester, Clerk of the Board Absent: Reporter: Cheryl Millman Topics- 2017 Budget Increase Requests Becky went over the worksheet detailing individual department increase to exceed their expenditure limitation for 2017. The Assessor's request is due to a recommendation from a DOR assessment. There are deadlines that must be met and the Assessor reported during her budget meeting that she is working most weekends and doing the work of 2-3 jobs. There could be an issue with her doing work for union positions. Commissioners requested that we get a copy of that report from the Assessor for them to review. The Treasurer's request may not be an issue. They are going to try to re -work some things to absorb the small request of $8151. The Prosecutor has requested an additional FTE for a Public Disclosure Attorney. Discussion regarding the need for a "point person" and whether that person should be housed with the Prosecutor or elsewhere. An addition request for $5,000 is for expenditures that are offset by grant revenue. Civil Service request for $4,000 should be approved due to testing requirements. Sheriff has requested a .5 FTE Humane Officer. They are working with Public Health. There is a real need for the position and for the person to have some legal authority to back up actions. Position is currently funded in Public Health at $68K; Sheriff has requested $34K; this will net a $34K decrease to current expense. The Jail has requested an increase of $108,568 to cover the cost of a new inmate medical provider program. Discussion ensued about patient care and Medicaid not covering inmates. Becky stated that the $115,000 might be absorbed with other savings in the budget. She does not believe the issue is over -exaggerated. Commissioner Stamper and Steve Walton attended a meeting at the Sheriff's office today. Will request a copy of a proposal from the LCSO. They have also requested $150,000 from Fund 110 (Mental Health tax) Juvenile made some position changes during this fiscal year, with no increase to their budget. Their request of $21,836 includes covering those changes as well as a .2 FTE GAL program coordinator currently paid from the Mental Health tax Fund 110. There needs to be a discussion with Superior Court as they oversee Juvenile. Coroner has requested $23,284 for rentals, services, travel, dues, subscriptions and uniforms. Becky reported that the Coroner FTE was increased 2 years ago from .5 FTE to 1.0 FTE with a promise to reduce Extra Help. Extra Help has increase though, instead of decreasing. One suggestion was that the Coroner FTE could be reduced again. The BOCC will meet with him again to discuss options. WSU increase request reflects the recommended contribution by WSU for the county. BOCC would like another meeting with her and the WSU representatives. She is mostly unavailable in October. We will work to schedule a meeting as soon as possible. Transfer increase are $287,785 more than 2016 and reflect increases to Public Health, Senior Services and the Law Library. There is potential to cut this expenditure to Public Health and Senior Services for unmandated programs. Law Library is mandated with no funding. Becky discussed the cost savings ideas listed on the worksheet. A discussion. about Senior Services and the possibilities/options available to reduce this expense. Combining centers would not save expenses. The group that has been working on this issue will meet again and come back to the BOCC with suggestions/options. Discussion continued regarding Discover Lewis County and options for this program. There will be further review of the program and whether it should be an IT function or placed in another department. Commissioner Fund requested a copy of the DLC 2017 LTAC application prior to meeting again to discuss. Concluded: 4:45 Meeting with Aaron Kunkler October 10, 2016 3:38 p.m. Present: Commissioner Stamper Commissioner Fund, Central Services Director Steve Walton and The Chronicle reporter Aaron Kunkler, who participated by phone. Guests: CJ Neer and Linda Williams. Recorder: Rieva Lester Aaron Kunkler said he had some questions about the selection of Dave Anderson as the E911 Manager. Steve Walton said the county wanted to get a good cross-section of users (fire and medical personnel) and county personnel to make the recommendation. He said he was joined on the seven -person selection committee by the Emergency Management Manager as well as one representative from each of the following: Riverside, the Mossyrock fire district, the Sheriff's Office, law enforcement from east Morton and the county's Human Resources department. Aaron Kunkler asked why the county selected Dave Anderson. Steve Walton said the selection committee unanimously named Dave Anderson as the most qualified person for the position. Steve Walton said the position was advertised near and far for six (6) to eight (8) weeks, much longer than the two (2) to three (3) weeks during which positions generally are advertised. Aaron Kunkler said he'd heard that previous complaints had not yet been addressed, and he asked whether there were any plans to address those complaints in the future. Steve Walton said that the county had been actively addressing earlier complaints for eight (8) months and would continue to do so. Aaron Kunkler asked if any performance reviews were planned. Steve Walton said the position would be subject to annual performance reviews, just as with any other employee. Commissioner Stamper said the BOCC is continuously asking for updates and that the county always is striving to improve services. Commissioner Fund said an anonymous letter submitted months ago contained complaints about E911 but that no one had indicated they were the one(s) with frustrations. Commissioner Fund said a Facebook post by Brittany Voie accused the BOCC of hiring one of their "cronies" but that the statement was untrue. Commissioner Fund reiterated that the commissioners were not members of the 7-person hiring selection committee. Steve Walton said this was the very reason a selection committee was used. He said the selection committee was a talented cross-section of first responders. "We knew they would choose the right person for the position," he said. Reporter Aaron Kunkler hung up at 3:50 p.m. The group discussed some of the back -story of the vacancy, and Steve Walton gave a recap of the Meeting ended at 3:58 p.m. —i '41 LEWIS COUNTY Lewis County Courthouse 357 NW North Street Board of County Commissioners Chehalis, WA98532-1900 NOTICE OF MEETING CANCELLATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners' meeting scheduled to take place on October 11, 2016 at 8:00 am in the LC Commissioners Office, 351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA, has been cancelled. Rieva Lester, Clerk of the Board 0 360.740.1120 Edna J. Fund P. W. Schulte Gary Stamper Karri L. Muir, CMC F 360. 740.1475 First District Second District Third District Clerk of the Board TDD 360.740.1480 bocc@lewiscountywa.gov iv i E.. Lewis County Courthouse 351 NW North Street Board of County Commissioners Chehalis, WA 98532-1900 'd /, /&,/a NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners' regular meeting scheduled on October 12, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. is in recess until 9:00 a.m. Rieva Lester, Clerk of the Board 0 360.740.1120 Edn a J. T%u n d P. W. Scbulte Gary Stamper Karri L. Mnir, CMG rst District Second District Third District F 360.740.1475 FiClerk of the hoard TDD 360.740.1480 bocc@lewiscountywa.gov Staff Meeting October 12, 2016 Present: Commissioner Fund, Rachel Hunt and Candy Hallom. Recorder: Rieva Lester The group went over the next week's calendar. Commissioner Fund indicated she wants to make sure the Lewis County Farm Forestry Association is made aware of the upcoming flood meeting. Candace suggested using Facebook to tag groups and people to the Chehalis Basin Strategy flyer. Meeting recessed at 9:00 a.m. Board (SOCCmeetingoMonday, Octo, Aiiow°a�� c®�sENT ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1. Approval of Warrants 2. Anoroval of funding a jreernent with U.S. Dq artn7ent of the Notes AU® Rvv �oec Ineam a in stggin stations. 3. Resolution a roviarant a ieement between Lewis Countand the C'it of Toledo to aece �t :undin from RCW 82.1�4.370 "Distressed Counties. Fund" for public_facilities _servin) Economic De o�ent. HEARING 4. Schedule a mu:blic hearin T to consider revisions to the Lewis CD Count. Count wide Plannin Policies. Directors Update October 12, 2016 9:00 a.m. Present: Commissioner Fund, Steve Wohld, Erik Martin, Lee Napier, Rachel Hunt, Steve Mansfield, Archie Smith, Danette York, Becky Butler, Steve Walton and Paulette Young. Guests: Bobby Jackson and Susan DeLaire. Reporter Aaron Kunkler joined the meeting at 9:09 a.m. Sheila Gray joined the meeting at 9:18 a.m. Susan DeLaire left the meeting at 9:57 a.m. Daleyn Coleman joined the meeting at 9:59 a.m. Recorder: Rieva Lester Agenda The group discussed changes to Human Response Network's Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamation. Eril< Martin discussed the USGS resolution. Commissioner Fund discussed the .09 resolution. Lee Napier discussed the Planning Policies resolution. Commissioner Fund discussed adding the agenda approval to Monday's agenda. Roundtable Commissioner Fund discussed request from Sen. Braun to tally money spent on flood control as well as "above and beyond" efforts. Steve Mansfield discussed the request for a letter addressing Option 4 of the flood control plan. Commissioner Fund asked if Steve Mansfield would be able to attend the upcoming meeting. The group discussed the upcoming meeting and the Environmental Impact Studies. Commissioner Fund said commissioners are leaning toward the water retention / fish mitigation option(s). Steve Mansfield said Option 1 is the only one that protects Lewis County and Interstate 5. He said economically, the area still has not recovered from the recent large flood. Lee Napier reported that she had attended the VSP meeting on Oct. 11. Danette York indicated she had met with the BHO and the sheriff's office on Oct. 11. She said she'll be sending all current contacts to the BHO as the department looks at distribution of 1.10 monies. She said Hepatitis A is "going kind of crazy" following a Chehalis Shop N' Kart employee's contraction of the disease. The employee was a cake/cupcake decorator. Danette York said anyone who ate baked goods from there the two weeks leading up until Oct. 3 should get vaccinated. Danette York said Shop N' Kart was exceptionally cooperative. Steve Wohld said Public Works is using the new Roads Web app. He said the new Rivers app is not yet working but that the old one is available. Ile said the Roads app allows the user to view closures, restrictions, etc. Steve Wohld thanked the group for being patient during the weeks -long data transfer. Steve Mansfield reminded the group of the 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 3 flood meeting. lie also reminded the group that the Great Washington Shakeout is planned for Oct. 20. Danette York said her department felt clueless during a recent "active shooter" event. Steve Mansfield said the county needs a process in place to get the information to all of the county personnel. Steve Mansfield said it wasn't an actual "active shooter" event, that it actually was a suspect from a previous shooting event. He said there is a need to help avoid the initial confusion the situation created. The group discussed the need for a policy and procedure. The group discussed the value of "over -reacting" versus "under -reacting" during emergency situations. The theme was that it's better to be safe than sorry. Steve Mansfield said a Damage Assessment Class is planned for Oct. 26. He also said windstorms are forecast for the rest of the week and the weekend. Steve Walton said he and Becky Butler would be meeting with a representative from Teamsters on Oct. 1.3. Becky Butler said budget worksheets would be sent out soon. She said she and the BOCC met on Oct. 10 to go over pending budgets. Archie Smith said the PAC meeting was held Oct. 11. He said Halloween plans would include a costume contest and a pumpkin -decorating contest. Archie Smith discussed the upcoming food drive. Ile said food drive boxes would be put out Nov. 1. Archie Smith said the 750 health plan would be removed from WCIF. He said he will walk employees through the decision -making process. He said the county met the 40 percent participation goal so the county can receive reduced rates. Sheila Gray discussed her upcoming plans, including participation in the Tree City USA event in Spokane. Commissioner Fund thanked those who attended the previous week's Legislative Roundup. The group discussed Public Disclosure and the fact that attorneys are using PDRs for discovery. Steve Wohld said MRSC recently addressed PDRs. The group discussed the cost to the public for PDRs. Meeting adjourned 10:12 a.m. Lewis County hoard of County Commissioners Public Works Update October 12, 2016 Present: Commissioner Edna Fund, Public Works Director/County Engineer Erik Martin,andLara Seller,recorder Start time 10:17 am RMT IV-PAF Erik noted that there are still some employees on the cusp of becoming an RMT IV and some are in the process of doing their final certifications. Erik asked what information the board would like regarding the RMT positions. Edna would like to wait until our budget meeting for further discussion. 2016 Annual Bridge Report - Erik presented the annual bridge report and briefly discussed the short span bridges. These bridges are between 10 ft. and 20 ft. and are not traditionally eligible for funding. Gary Rowe is working with the legislature to try and secure funding. PDR's- Edna noted she has a meeting with Kim next week and long term discussion will be held when a transition of PDR duties will be done. Open positions - Office Assistant/Office Asst. Sr. - Interviews for the Office Assistant Senior position will be held this Thursday and Friday. North Lewis County Industrial Access- TRPC will be coming this Friday to present the modeling work they have completed. SCJ Alliance has submitted the final phase of the project which will be phase 3. They have combined phases 3 and 4 which will take us through the end of the project. Borst Ave Pedestrian Project - Erik has a meeting this Friday with Kahle Jennings to discuss the next steps of the project. He is hoping that the City of Centralia will come to the table with funding to do a grant study. An RFP may be done later this year and hopes to start the project next year. The public will be involved in the process. Further discussion was held regarding grants. PSE Franchise - There will be a meeting with PSE on October 20t" to continue negotiations. Glenn and Erik have had discussions regarding sole negligence and are looking at applying this to parts of the franchise that could cause the County to incur unnecessary costs. Northwest Stock Pile Site - Larry Unzelman and Bill Vander Hoeff have found a property for sale on Buck Rd. and Lincoln Creek which is 42 acres. The property is listed for $215k and they will investigate to see if we can use it for stockpile site. Load Standards - Erik noted that the roads standards meeting that was held yesterday was a productive meeting. Some of the attendees included Bob Balmelli, Rick Mack and Reggie Hamilton. These meetings should wrap up in March with new standards adopted for next year. FEMA Projects - Erik gave a brief update on FEMA projects that include Coal Creek Rd, Skate Creek, Senn Rd and Rock Creek Rd. Lincoln Creek Bridge - This project is on schedule and is currently on schedule to be done at end of his year or the first of next year. Cispus Rd - Erik noted there have been reports of rock loss on this road which is still being looked at. Hwy 603- The biggest challenge for this project is the software which is Civil 3D. This project is a large file and it is too large for our current computers. IT has installed a better computer which should help but the department is also looking at alternative software. This project will go out to bid in December. North Fork Rd. - This project is next to design once Hwy 603 is finished. Tim and Larry feel there may be issues acquiring ROW as some citizens are not too excited about the project. There are some drainage issue and some folks think that road fix will make drainage issues worse .,,Thefdepartment wi,.11�do everything it can to make citizens informed of the process. Vader Water Reservoir - This project is moving along fast and Betsy Dillin manages the project well. The project is currently on schedule. Vader Water Rates - Rates have not been increased since 2010 and now is the time to start looking at a new rate structure. Betsy is working on scenarios and Erik will present them to the board in the near future. Citizen will be shown why rates need to increase. Landfill Closure - Erik will meet with Glenn and Solid Waste next week on this issue. They are getting close on getting an agreement out to the group. The new agreement should cut costs associated with the landfill closure maintenance by 2/3. Residential Voucher Program - Erik noted that Solid Waste is looking at cost savings for this program. Possibly shorten the timespan to just summer months. Or maybe reduce the load limit to 500 or 600 lbs. Washington SWAC- Erik noted that Steve Skinner was asked to sit on the Washington State SWAC Board. Meeting ended 10:55 am Lewis County Courthouse 351 NW North Street Board Of County Commissioners Chehalis, WA 98532-1900 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners' meeting scheduled to take place on October 13, 2016 at 8:00 am in the LC Commissioners Office, 351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA, has been cancelled. 0 360.740.1120 F 360.740.1475 TDD 360.740.1480 Rieva Lester, Clerk of the Board Edna j—hind j P. W. Schulte Gary Stamper Karri L. Muir, CMC rirst District I Second District Third District Clerk of the Board bocc@lewiscountywa.gov Board of County Commissioners L.EWIS COUNTY) - _-- _-- -A 1. fBy+B NOTICE OF RECESS Lewis County Courthouse 357 NW North Street Chehalis, WA 98532-1900 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners' regular meeting scheduled for 8:00 a.m. October 14, 2016, is in recess until 8:30 a.m. Rieva Lester, Clerk of the Board 0 360.740..1.120 Edna ,J. Fund Bobby Jackson Gary Stamper F 360.740.147.5=frsrDisrrcr Second t)istriet Third District TDD 360.740.1480 Rieva Lester Clerk o1 the Board bocc@lewiscountywa.gov Update on Permit Process, Phase Three October 14, 2016 8:30 a.m. Present: Commissioner Fund, Community Development Director Lee Napier, Human Resources Generalist Daleyn Coleman, Public Health and Social Services Director Danette York, Human Resources Administrator Archie Smith, Public Works Director Erik Martin, Port of Chehalis CEO Randy Mueller and Consultant Kelly Johnston. Commissioner Gary Stamper joined the meeting at 8:48 a.m. Archie left at 9:02 a.m. Danette York left the meeting at 9:43 a.m. Recorder: Rieva Lester Kelly Johnston said the recent customer satisfaction survey shows significant improvement. "I really think you all can give yourselves a pat on the back. Pretty impressive." Kelly directed the group to page 42 of the handout. She said a previous report showed that customers were angry, whereas the October 2016 report is filled with high marks. Kelly said customers are still asking for flow charts. She pointed the group to a sample flow chart included in the packet. Kelly said the county needs to create some type of outreach to alert customers to changes in code. Lee Napier said the Planning Commission already has something similar in place. Erik Martin asked about the preference for code change alerts, whether the county was being asked to create generalized alerts or specialized alerts. Kelly gave legal lot determinations as an example. She said respondents indicated they are confused by the process. The group discussed where the confusion could stem from. The group talked about there being a difference between legal lots and buildable lots. The group also discussed that it's difficult to determine what the respondents meant, since the county doesn't have direct contact with the original sources. The group said it's difficult to determine whether topics are getting lost in translation because the county is having to rely on the focus group's interpretation of the respondents' intent. Kelly said the group needs to view the Permit Process report as "what can we take from this that's useful." Kelly said the Steering Committee said the report "was really positive." Kelly said the process felt adversarial to her, that she felt a lot of tension. Lee voiced her concern over the fact that Kelly had included negative personal experiences in her consultant's report. Lee questioned whether a consultant's opinions about their own personal experiences should be included in a report about customers. She said Kelly's feelings do not necessarily represent the public's thoughts. Danette York said the hard feelings likely could be traced to the use of "rankings" in previous reports. Archie Smith directed the group to verbiage used on Page 41 that he said makes it sound like "meeting gridlock" is the norm when dealing with Lewis County departments. Danette asked if language can be toned down or changed. She specifically asked about Kelly's personal experiences being interjected into the reports. Kelly said that it's an independent report and that the Steering Committee had approved it. Randy Mueller said, "This is the version we're comfortable with." He said the consultant's report paints a mostly positive picture of Lewis County. He said it's an "80/20" ratio of positive to negative feedback. Lee Napier said she didn't like the inclusion of names of employees. She said she'd previously spoken to Kelly about the need to avoid singling out employees, especially since the list included misspellings, people who no longer worked for Lewis County and people who had never worked for Lewis County. Erik Martin asked about areas in which the hired consultant interjected her own personal experiences and feelings into the report (specifically pages 14 and 15). Erik said that since Kelly represented the report as positive overall, it seems counterintuitive for the author to highlight her own negative feelings in print. Kelly told the group that in government, "you should strive to be accessible and accommodating with all requests." Danette said departments had to prioritize. She said departments were juggling Kelly's requests, customer requests and another large project — Impact Washington — simultaneously. Danette said it's important to put the customers' service first. Lee asked for specifics about an area in the report in which Kelly, the consultant, wrote about a personal experience in which she was told information wasn't available when it actually was. Kelly said she wasn't comfortable going into detail. Lee asked, "But you're comfortable putting it in writing for the public to see?" Kelly indicated that she was. Erik Martin said he was opposed to having Kelly's individual personal views being included as her views don't represent the overall view. He later asked whether the Steering Committee would be going to be willing to sit down to help learn what can be done to achieve future improvements. Randy Mueller said, "It's the customer's voice. For better or for worse." Erik said the county is not opposed to a critical review. He said what he worries about is that the focus will be shifted to Kelly's personal experiences. Kelly discussed feeling like she had to take a back seat to the Impact Washington project. Lee Napier said it's not wise to be publishing Kelly's own personal opinions. Erik Martin asked Kelly whether it's common for her to interject her own personal experience into consultant reports. Kelly said she never has in the past. Erik said he's not frustrated with the critique of the processes. He said he is very frustrated that Kelly chose to color it with her own personal views. Kelly explained the Denison graphic and how to read it. She said the Denison represented 17 county respondents. Commissioner Fund asked when the report would be released to the public. Kelly said it would be shared at the Chamber Report on Monday. Kelly said the contract for the study was $30,000. Commissioner Stamper said the county needs to take the report and finding where the county can grow. Commissioner Fund said that if the report brings everyone to the table to talk about improvements, it's a win. Meeting ended at 9:45 a.m. 3 External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three Executive Summary The Lewis County area is economically challenged by unemployment, underemployment and generational poverty. Community leaders and community members are seeking ways to improve the economic health of the area in order to improve the overall quality of life. One possible approach is to leverage the cheaper land and lower development costs to encourage new businesses to locate here. This benefits the community in multiple ways — new jobs, additional tax revenue, and construction acts as an economic kick-3starter for a local economy. A group of community leaders involved in economic development views the permitting processes of the three largest jurisdictions (Cities of Centralia and Chehalis and Lewis County) as vital components to this work. When the lower development costs are combined with a healthy and effective permitting system, it translates to a competitive advantage for this area that can encourage businesses to invest in our area. As with any process improvement effort, the voice of the customer is a key component to identifying where to invest resources for improvement. This project, sponsored by five community organizations, reviewed the customer experience from hundreds of customers, through focus groups, interviews and a survey. This report provides a summary of the customer feedback, and compares the current state to phase two of this project, conducted in 2009. This Is o (Mostly) Good News Story Customer satisfaction with all three jurisdictions is high. The County is to be commended for their improvement over the years in the area of customer satisfaction. Both Cities have sustained good levels of customer satisfaction. Many people shared that they like working in Lewis County and that they can build positive working relationships with the government representatives. They find that the process and regulations here are less onerous than in other places. This report shares many of these positive experiences, and the quantitative results from the survey reflect an overall positive situation. Here are some of the positive themes that emerged: • Major opportunities for encouraging new business exist and can be capitalized on. • There is a shared understanding of what a "business -friendly" process is: fair, transparent, predictable and reasonable. No one had unreasonable expectations for what the government agencies should be doing. October 2016 • Customer service is high, and staff are accessible and willing to help — more so than other areas. • Most projects get permitted fairly quickly, and faster than in other areas. As with any review process, opportunities for improvement were also identified. A few of the larger improvement themes that emerged include: • The UGA accountabilities are not always clear and hinder development. • On-line presence and function is seriously under-utilized. • Fractured relationships within the community are damaging progress. • Government leadership are missing opportunities to set clear vision and direction related to economic development. • Predictable timelines are still not in place, and are critical to encouraging development. Customers do not perceive that government agencies feel the same sense of urgency. • Commercial customers and developers feel that government employees often do not understand their business context and the costly impact of delays, unclear decisions, and variable interpretations of codes. This report contains many recommendations for the government jurisdictions to consider. Some of these recommendations are low hanging fruit — small and easy to implement. Others require more of a commitment. We hope that all will be carefully considered. A complete list of all recommendations is available at the end of this report. ►CLARITY CONSULTING External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three Lewis County Who Answered the Survey? 102 people responded to the survey who applied for permits with Lewis County. 567 invitations were sent out, and we are unable to determine which of the non - deliverable surveys were for County applicants, so the survey had at least a 18% response rate. Almost 2/3 of the respondents were private landowners. This increases the number of one-time users with little experience with the process that are County customers. Generally, these folks are more likely to find the process challenging. The majority of respondents completed a new residential project. Only a small portion worked on land division projects. Projects that take place in the County have a few differentiators from projects within city limits. • Generally, utilities are not in place and must be included as part of the project. • Distance between the project site and the County offices can be significantly greater. • Some projects will take place within the UGA, which was addressed under General Findings. County Criterion 1: Quality of Information We asked focus group members and survey respondents about the quality of Field of Work Private Landowner 64% Source: 2016 Permit Customer Survey; County Type of Project Source: 2016 Permit Customer yp Survey; County Residential (new) Utilities (water, sewer, electrical) Shop/Out Building (new) Commercial/Industrial (new) Remodel to existing structure Other (please specify) Land Division 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 County Information Was Clear and Helpful Understandable Process ® `"v4/o o 84% Verbal Information o 77% rJ 6 /o Written Information 71% ® 13% 100% information. The questions covered whetherthe process was understandable, whetherthe verbal and written information was helpful and clear and showed how to maneuverthrough the system. October 2016 Survey respondents have overall favorable results. The majority of respondents indicated that the information provided was clear, helpful and understandable. These results are an improvement over the phase two results. Not only are the % agree ratings higher, but the % disagrees are lower by more than half. The County has made great improvements with the quality of their information. A few opportunities for improvement related to improvement did come up in the survey comments, focus group meetings and interviews. Visual Depiction of the Process In every phase of this project, customers have asked for a flow chart, step-by-step process or some kind of visual picture of the process. In Phase Two, the project included a flow chart of the process provided to the County for their use with customers. It does not appear that anything like that is currently available. Jefferson County provides a high-level flow chart, see Appendix B for an example. In addition, Thurston County has an on-line interactive version of a step-by-step process — when the customer clicks on a step, several sub -process steps are provided. Customer comments regarding this include: The permit process is very confusing. Need to make a step-by-step process that actually makes sense. A process of what needs to be done in what order/sequence. Received conflicting advice on how to start and how to expedite the process. Was unclear of the instructions. Had to submit 3 times. Still have no flow charts — no true sense of a consumer walking through the door. Customers can't figure out the path. Recommendation 13: County provide a flow chart or written step-by-step process for land and building permitting. Make available on-line and hard copy. '►CLARITY CONSULTING External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three Code Changes Professionals want to adhere to the required code. Overall, they work with good intent to follow the codes and do the work the right way the first time. Some of the professionals shared the frustration that codes will change, they don't know about it, and they end up having to redo work because on inspection they find out it wasn't done to the new code. This is frustrating and expensive. They asked for some kind of notification process to let them know when codes change. This issue was surfaced in phase two of the project as well. Recommendation 14: All three jurisdictions should develop a notification process that allows professionals to sign up for code change notifications. Legal Lot Determination Procedure A tax parcel may or may not be recorded as a legal lot. Tax parcels get created — legally — for different reasons, and they aren't always recorded as a legal lot. The legal lot determination process may vary between jurisdictions, as it is a local government ordinance derived from state statute. Generally, the legal lot determination is handled by the planning department for a jurisdiction. This process was a topic for focus group members. They indicated that the County needs to have a clearer legal lot determination procedure that is coordinated between the planning department, treasurer and auditor. Recommendation 15: County create a process map for legal lot determinations. Share broadly with professionals who support clients through the process. Coordination and Clarity between County Departments and Offices The County structure includes various departments that report to the County Commissioners and Offices led by independently elected officials. Customers working through the process find it confusing to move between these areas and are frustrated when they receive conflicting information. In addition, they don't always know who they are dealing with in various interactions. While it is clear to employees working within the system, a customer may not realize that s/he is talking to two different departments in the same interaction or building. Lewis County - application sat for a week because a form was missing. 1: staff said they would add the form. 2: review staff did not tell office the application was on hold. Office staff just found the file sitting around. Centralized permit center for County seems like a good idea but the reality is a little confusing. FOR EXAMPLE: to get a Health Dept. permit, first take the permit sign -off sheet to permit center. Wait 1-2 weeks for sign -offs from various departments (with or without actual Health Dept application? Not clear.) Then get a call to "come pick it up" and hand carry to Health Dept. and hand them sign off sheet and check so they can begin their permit review ... And of course they are in different buildings in Chehalis. Really?! These things can't happen in parallel? Have to physically play courier to convey paper from one department to another? Time to re -engineer the process! October 2016 Wasn't clear who was in charge [of the pre -sub meeting]. Who was the highest person in the room? With ten people I don't know, an overview would be helpful. Recommendation 16: County provide an org chart at the pre -sub meeting so customers know who they're working with. Recommendation 17: County remind staff that customers aren't always clear on roles within the County system. Train staff to provide warm handoffs and continue to clarify roles with customers. Keep organizational charts on hand to show customers. County Criterion 2: Timeliness of the Process County Timeliness 60% Predictable Time 17% 74% _Em Reasonable Time 15% ' 0% 20% 40% 60% 80°%, Source: 2016 Permit O % Agree ■ % Disagree Customer Survey; County County Time to Permit Source: 2016 Permit 45 Customer Survey; County 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 0 Less than 2 2-4 weeks 5-12 weeks 90 - 120 days More than weeks 120 days As discussed earlier, the timeliness of a process is a critical component for supporting new development. Over the course of the three phases, the County has shown steady improvement in timeliness. From Phase One to Phase Three, agreement that the process is predictable has gone from 40% to 60%. And, in Phase One, 55% of customers agreed that the timeline was reasonable. This time, 74% agreed. The County is to be commended for their work in improving these areas. For the majority of permits, the actual time to get a permit is under 12 weeks. Some permits fall into the longer time range, however, these could be processes that require more time. '►CLARITY CONSULTING External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three Even with these positive results, there are a few places of improvement for the County. Staff Availability— Meeting Gridlock Multiple times and with several different 1 --� types of customers, people mentioned Told we have to wait six weeks for a meeting. the challenge of getting answers and Nobody has a six week backlog. getting projects moved forward due to staff unavailability. They were told staff were in meetings, and/or a key meeting couldn't happen for a long period of time due to staff availability. Trying to have plans revised and every time I try to submit new plans the person I need to talk to is in a meeting. 1 fail to see how any work gets done when he is always in a meeting! And 1 am told he will call but we don't hear back. A different customer described requesting a pre -sub meeting, having to wait 6 weeks, and then learning information at that meeting that caused further delays: Feel like it is slow. Pre -Sub Meeting — I got on the list to attend the meeting almost six weeks before. I waited a long time for that meeting. We wanted to build in October before the rain started and before concrete gets more expensive (Nov. 1). 1 wanted to submit an app as early as possible. I knew if I submitted an incomplete app it would stall the process. When we went to get on the schedule for the pre -sub meeting, I was dismayed that I had to wait so long because 1 knew this meeting would give me the info I needed to submit a complete app. This issue relates to the previous comments under General Findings about government not relating to the business context. Private sector working on a project experiences every delay as an unnecessary cost. Delays of six weeks can compound costs in multiple ways. Staffing Levels Customers are concerned about the staffing levels and the potential for turn -over. There were two identified reasons: • Staffing levels were cut during the recession and not adequately restored • The lack of staffing redundancy leads to delays when staff are out on vacation or at training Some comments included: I think Lewis County Community Development is doing pretty well. I think they're understaffed dramatically. If I were to grade Lewis County, I'd give them a solid 7. We could bump that up 1-2 points if they had more people. County has definitely gotten to a point where we're seeing it slow down. The mud is thickening. October 2016 J, i. Funding for inspection staff seemed to be a problem. In addition, customers talked about the increase in local work. Many professionals during the focus groups talked about business picking up, and higher volumes of work. They are feeling the pressure and see that staff are crunched too. There was a definite sense of compassion for the workload staff experience. Two areas specifically mentioned were septic inspection and planning. One customer asked if monument preservation funds could be used to fund additional staff. Recommendation 18: County develop a staffing allocation model based on permit volume to be used for forecasting needed staffing levels in the next budget cycle. This needs to be done proactively so the County isn't caught short with higher volume. Recommendation 19: County mitigate the lack of redundancy by cross -training or developing an inter -local agreement to support key roles when staff members are out of office. County Criterion 3: Staff -Customer Interaction County Staff -Customer Interactions COULD MAKE DECISIONS INTERACTIONS WITH BUILDING POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH PUBLIC WORKS POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH PLANNING POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL... FIND ALTERNATIVES THAT WORK PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION OVERALL KNOWLEDGABLE AND PROFESSIONAL 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Source: 2016 Permit Customer % Agree a % Disagree Survey, County The customer survey response to interactions with County staff is overall positive. Consistently, 2 out of every 3 people indicate a positive experience with the county. These results are consistent with Phase Two. In some cases slightly better, in some slightly worse, but overall holding steady. The Building Department, however, has made noticeable improvement, up to 82% satisfied from 69% in Phase Two. The majority of customer comments were positive, reflecting the quantitative results. There were only a few comments that reflected angry, extremely dissatisfied customers. Again, this is a marked improvement from previous phases. Phase One customers were angrier. Currently, there are still varied experiences with customers, but it would be unrealistic to expect 100% ►CLARITY CCNSULTING External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three satisfaction. The County has worked to improve their interactions with customers and should continue. A few examples of comments about the overall experience include: Don't be rude or treat people like they are an inconvenience for you. Not all of us are contractors. Lewis County office staff gets A+. If I had questions, the people in the Lewis County permit office were VERY helpful. Site plan too close to slope. Suggested geo test for feasibility or move house plan back and file new site plan showing changes. Very helpful. Extremely slow, they act as if 1 am a burden when I come in to get a permit, they consistently have terrible and unfriendly attitudes which in turn puts me in a bad mood. Everybody was very helpful. We were rebuilding after a house fire and could not have had nicer people to deal with. Thank you! The people in the office have been very helpful both on the phone and in person. Lewis County Staff was exceptional when I obtained my building permit, septic design, etc. Lewis County personnel worked to make building a good experience. Lewis County Staff are helpful, knowledgeable and easy to work with. Inspectors were knowledgeable and friendly. The Lewis County permit office was great - one of the few aspects of building that WASN'T an issue! Excellent experience. Everyone was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. Counter people were sincere about trying to help you get thru the application and permit process. At the end of the day that is what is most important. Being there to help. Permit Center The interactions with permit techs at the counter came up several times in the process. Overall, most people expressed satisfaction. There were several comments, however, from people that they felt they were treated as an inconvenience, minimal effort was put in to helping, and at times people were rude. There were enough descriptions of this type of experience from several different people and groups to warrant mentioning it. It would appear as if the experience of the customer at the counter could be more consistently positive. October 2016 As noted above, many comments were positive. A few that point to concerns include: They need to be more friendly and they usually act like they are doing you a favor or you are an inconvenience. [If I was] A customer going into the County, I would walk out. Maybe it isn't their job to be warm and fuzzy, but shoot, just a help would be nice. 1 took a customer in and I was so embarrassed by how they were treated. One person was told, "We really hate it when you_ [type of professional] come in here. Recommendation 20: Improve consistency of customer experience at the counter. We did ask if anyone exceeded expectations, and several people were mentioned: • Mike Watilo - professional and helpful • TARA MOOON - Permits! She is very professional and an asset to your company! • Kurt and Fred were very helpful. • Nancy Kaiser in Health Dept. - procured faxed signature missing from permit sign -off sheet. Very helpful. • Bob Deacon. Field inspector. He is very knowledgeable of construction. • Pat Winters was very helpful in Lewis County Electrical Dept. • Doyle Sanford, easy to work with, knowledgeable, level headed, great attitude • Bev Granger ►CLARITY CONSULTING External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three County Criterion 4: Overall Environment The County has improved in making their process more business -friendly. In fact, 71% in Phase Three agree that it is, while only 50% did in Phase Two. The responses to incurring costs due to delays are very consistent with Phase Two: about 1 in 4 customers felt they did. OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF COUNTY'S SYSTEM Regularly Incur Costs Due to Delays 24% ° 42 /° Land Use/Development System 56% Designed Well 9% Building Permit System 74% Designed Well 8% Business -Friendly � 10% 71% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Source: 2015 Permit Customer Survey; County %Agree ■ %Disagree Land Use and Development Process The Land Use and Development process appears that it could benefit from continued efforts to improve it. Several people said they were concerned because there hasn't been a lot of development in the past and wondered if the process will be streamlined and ready for developers when they do come. Some people also indicated that the complexity and uniqueness of each project, I believe our core will get developed by outside combined with the lower number of these money and they're going to want to be dirt types of projects, can make it difficult for staff ready in six months. to have experience with the variety of decisions they must make related to code interpretation. For large, complex projects, it may be helpful for the County to proactively identify a process that will expedite those sticking points by utilizing outside expertise or providing an internal project manager. The County has an opportunity to work closely with the development community to set policies and design processes that will make the land use and development system more effective. This includes work on realistic timelines and proactive handling of complex projects. Recommendation 21: County set a strategic priority related to development. Engage the local development community in designing processes that will be attractive to outside investors. Specific Issues A few specific concerns were mentioned by customers. They included: October 2016 • Trouble with road approach requirements being unreasonable. Applying a standard that makes sense in one situation, but is excessive in another. • Multiple CARL reviews, with each one having an additional cost. Is there a way to proactively help the customer identify everything that will require a review at the start of the process? • Setbacks in the east county excessive for the property. Benefits of Lewis County Many people indicated that they work in several geographic areas, and prefer Lewis County. They find the staff helpful and accessible, and are able to build positive working relationships. We thought the process went very smoothly. This was the 3rd house we built. Everyone was excellent to work with. Hats off to Lewis County!! Lewis County has less governmental negative issues than other counties in which we hove built. Procedures worked for us and we are thankful for the good people who handle these challenging issues. Contrary, Lewis County seems to have a clear direction that they are there to serve the public and help land owners do what they're wanting to do with their project, without extremely costly regulations and road blocks. Having worked with both Pierce and King counties in the past, Lewis County actually tried to help rather than hinder the process. Hire someone in permitting or county executive role that their goal is to make Lewis County a better place to live and develop good paying jobs. That person would have the ability to install that ideology in his or her staff. County because it can happen and is hard to reverse. Leadership Structure I'm very glad I live in Lewis County and not Thurston. Please do not let your staff get the mentality that developers are bad guys trying anything to get around the rules. Most land developers and builders just want to know what needs done one time and that what there told is what is expected. Do not let this happen in Lewis The County is structured with three independently elected Commissioners leading multiple county departments. County department heads report to all three commissioners. This creates a dynamic situation for department heads, as they must constantly be meeting the expectations of three different people. When the Commissioners aren't aligned, as they weren't for this project, department heads have to sort outthe best path forward and thread the needle between differing expectations. CLARITY CONSULTING External Review of Permitting Processes, Phase Three In many situations, because of this structure, a single point of accountability or a person with full decision -making authority is not identified. This creates delays and frustration for everyone. People in the community actively want to build on the positive aspects of permitting in Lewis County. There is almost universal agreement that this area has a strong competitive advantage, and wants to build on it. They also feel there needs to be strong leadership who will set a clear vision for growing jobs in Lewis County and working collaboratively with other local partners. Along with the vision, they want leaders who will set expectations for county employees, so employees know clearly that they can and should work effectively with customers to generate growth for the area. Our local community faces significant hurdles with low income and generational poverty. Ensuring that businesses can invest here and bring new jobs is a critical part of the solution. County Denison Results As mentioned under methodology, the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS) is a tool to assess organizational culture. Responses have been scientifically linked to higher organizational performance on a variety of performance measures. 17 employees took the DOCS. The results are shown to the left. Generally speaking, more color on the chart N� xr �I i indicates stronger organizational culture. Results are shown as percentiles against a normative benchmark. For Lewis County, there is some slippage between the Phase Two results and the Phase Three results. The top half of the Denison shows T External Focus FF �i ' ; -) 0 G an external focus - connecting to customers. These Intern_�al Focus are also both low for the County. Strategic Direction and Intent, along with Creating Change, are the two lowest areas. Both of these connect to the discussion above on leadership structure and land use/development processes. There has been some growth in scores for consistency, and notably, organizational learning has improved significantly. Again, the County Commissioners would be well -served to set clear strategic direction and intent for employees. Combined with increased change capability would lead to improved results regarding growth for our community. October 2016 Lewis County u� Port of e entralia- Chehalis 20WI* 1 C iNI'i2AIlA _ Chehalis INDUS"IRIAL Chamber of Commerce MasterBuilders Permit Project Phase 3 Recommendations Compilation of Recommendations All of the recommendations throughout the report are compiled here. Recommendation 1: All jurisdictions: Elected officials and appointed leaders demonstrate in words and actions their interest in and support for customer input. Increase responsiveness to requests from stakeholder groups. Recommendation 2: All jurisdictions: Provide employees with a visual depiction of how development provides their funding source to help with line of sight between their daily work and funding. Recommendation 3: Both Cities publish expected timelines for routine processes. Recommendation 4: All jurisdictions: Employees who mainly work in the office make a conscious effort to ask about the individual's business and express support and appreciation for their willingness to invest in Lewis County. When obstacles are identified, take the time to ask the applicant about the impact and express a desire to help them stay successful and profitable. Recommendation 5: All jurisdictions: Bring together a joint planning group that works to harmonize the UGA codes. Recommendation 6: City of Centralia and Lewis County update their inter -local agreement for the UGA to have one document that includes all the current info in one place. Recommendation 7: City of Chehalis and Lewis County create a new inter -local agreement for permitting within the UGA. Recommendation 8: All jurisdictions: Fund technology improvements to provide capability for submitting permit applications and paying fees. Recommendations 9: All jurisdictions: Use website to establish a business -friendly presence and welcome new investments in the community. Recommendation 10: All jurisdictions: Until permits can be submitted and paid online, provide an after hours drop box so applicants don't have to wait for business hours to get things submitted. Recommendation 11: Centralia City Leadership and Management clarify strategic direction for the City and provide clear goals for City employees to align to. Include in this effort clear statements about the City's goals related to supporting business and economic development in the local community. Recommendation 12: City of Chehalis: As new staff come on board, ensure that they are fully trained and informed regarding the vision and expectation the City has for a strong permitting process. October 2016 r C L A R I T Y CONSULTING Lewis County 4 Port of �Ch._. entralia Chehalis :..PORT OF �'FN"TI2ALIA �,/L��/ -- - Chehalis INDUSTRIAL PARK b of Commerce m,d d.• L•m , ..... .. _._ .r ... x�.r. OLTMI'IA MasterBuilders Recommendation 13: County provide a flow chart or written step-by-step process for land and building permitting. Make available on-line and hard copy. Recommendation 14: All three jurisdictions should develop a notification process that allows professionals to sign up for code change notifications. Recommendation IS: County create a process map for legal lot determinations. Share broadly with professionals who support clients through the process. Recommendation 16: County provide an org chart at the pre -sub meeting so customers know who they're working with. Recommendation 17: County remind staff that customers aren't always clear on roles within the County system. Train staff to provide warm handoffs and continue to clarify roles with customers. Keep organizational charts on hand to show customers. Recommendation 18: County develop a staffing allocation model based on permit volume to be used for forecasting needed staffing levels in the next budget cycle. This needs to be done proactively so the County isn't caught short with higher volume. Recommendation 19: County mitigate the lack of redundancy by cross -training or developing an inter - local agreement to support key roles when staff members are out of office. Recommendation 20: County improve consistency of customer experience at the counter. Recommendation 21: County set a strategic priority related to development. Engage the local development community in designing processes that will be attractive to outside investors. October 2016 r C L A R I T Y CONSULTING Lewis County Organizational Culture Survey County Employee Ir, denisol-h" DEN ISONCONSU LTI N G. C O M fll� denison DENISONCONSULTING.COM External Focus Stra f Cou Internal Focus Emplovee NUMBERS DENOTE PERCENTILES 1 10/10/2016 1 2015 Normative Dataset A' = ©Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. All rights reserved 1 N 17 Mission County Employee In my organization (City or County)... Strategic Direction & Intent There is a long-term purpose and direction. Our strategy leads other organizations to change the way they operate. There is a clear mission that gives meaning and direction to our work. There is a clear strategy for the future. Our strategic direction is unclear to me.* Goals & Objectives There is widespread agreement about goals. Leaders set goals that are ambitious, but realistic. The leadership has "gone on record" about the objectives we are trying to meet. We continuously track our progress against our stated goals. People understand what needs to be done for us to succeed in the long run. Vision We have a shared vision of what the organization will be like in the future. Leaders have a long-term viewpoint. Short-term thinking often compromises our long-term vision.` Our vision creates excitement and motivation for our employees. We are able to meet short-term demands without compromising our long-term vision. PERCENTILE 0 25th loth Ism loom ® 14 -' 28 54 _ 20 25 -_E60 37 _ - ■ 58 ■9 43 -1 52 49 _ M 70 23 69 1st 2nd 3rd 4tn QUARTILE NUMBERS DENOTE PERCENTILES 1 10/10/2016 1 N=17 1 2015 Normative Dataset *For this negatively worded item, the raw score has been reversed. ©Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. All rights reserved 2 IN ALL CASES, A HIGHER SCORE INDICATES A MORE FAVORABLE CONDITION. county tmpioyee In my organization (City or County)... PERCENTILE 0 2511 50th Core Valdes The leaders and managers "practice what they preach." There is a characteristic management style and a distinct set of management practices. There is a clear and consistent set of values that governs the way we do business. Ignoring core values will get you in trouble. There is an ethical code that guides our behavior and tells us right from wrong. Agreement When disagreements occur, we work hard to achieve "win -win" solutions. There is a "strong" culture. It is easy to reach consensus, even on difficult issues. We often have trouble reaching agreement on key issues.* There is a clear agreement about the right way and the wrong way to do things. 27 Coordination & Integration Our approach to doing business is very consistent and predictable. 46 People from different parts of the City/County share a common perspective. 30 It is easy to coordinate projects across different parts of the City/County. Working with someone from another part of the City/County is like working with someone from a different organization.* There is good alignment of goals across levels. 'st „nd QUARTILE L 75th 100th 88 62 55 67 58 76 61 60 68 66 59 59 „rd 4tn NUMBERS DENOTE PERCENTILES 1 10/10/2016 1 N=17 1 2015 Normative Dataset *For this negatively worded item, the raw score has been reversed. ©Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. All rights reserved 3 IN ALL CASES, A HIGHER SCORE INDICATES A MORE FAVORABLE CONDITION. Ins/nIxiPrnAnt County Employee In my organization (City or County)... Empowerment Most employees are highly involved in their work. Decisions are usually made at the level where the best information is available. Q Information is widely shared so that everyone can get the information he or she needs when it's needed. ( Everyone believes that he or she can have a positive impact. Organizational/strategic planning is ongoing and involves everyone in the process to some degree. Team Orientation Cooperation across different parts of the organization is actively encouraged. 0 People work like they are part of a team. Teamwork is used to get work done, rather than hierarchy. Teams are our primary building blocks. Work is organized so that each person can see the relationship between his or her job and the goals of the organization. Capability Development Authority is delegated so that people can act on their own. The "bench strength" (capability of people) is constantly improving. There is continuous investment in the skills of employees. The capabilities of people are viewed as a critical resource. Problems often arise because we do not have the skills necessary to do the job.* PERCENTILE 0 25th 50th 75th 100th ---178 ---_95 __-085 74 61 ■ 84 179 75 _ 49 - 38 71 55 - 40 69 - - - 9 80 1St 2nd 3rd 4tn QUARTILE NUMBERS DENOTE PERCENTILES 1 10/10/2016 1 N=17 1 2015 Normative Dataset `For this negatively worded item, the raw score has been reversed. ©Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. All rights reserved 4 IN ALL CASES, A HIGHER SCORE INDICATES A MORE FAVORABLE CONDITION. Adaptability County Employee In my organization (City or County)... PERCENTILE 0 25th 50th 75th t00th Creating Change Z;-� =1 - — - � The way things are done is very flexible and easy to change. - 126 We respond well to changes in the business environment, including directions from state/federal government. - 16 New and improved ways to do work are continually adopted. - 13 Attempts to create change usually meet with resistance.* - ■ 35 Different parts of the City/County often cooperate to create change. - - - 64 Customer Focus Customer comments and recommendations often lead to changes. - - 152 Customer input directly influences our decisions. -, 30 All members have a deep understanding of customer wants and needs. - - - E 82 The interests of the customer often get ignored in our decisions.* - - - 176 We encourage direct contact with customers by our people. - - - ■ 83 Organizational Learning We view failure as an opportunity for learning and improvement. - - _ 68 Innovation and risk taking are encouraged and rewarded. -' 28 Lots of things "fall between the cracks."* ; - - - _ 94 Learning is an important objective in our day-to-day work. -. 32 We make certain that the "right hand knows what the left hand is doing." - - 49 1St 2nd 3rd 4tn QUARTILE NUMBERS DENOTE PERCENTILES 1 10/10/2016 1 N=17 1 2015 Normative Dataset *For this negatively worded item, the raw score has been reversed. ©Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. All rights reserved 5 IN ALL CASES, A HIGHER SCORE INDICATES A MORE FAVORABLE CONDITION. Highest & Lowest Scores County Employee In my organization (City or County)... HIGHEST SCORES 95 Decisions are usually made at the level where the best information is available. lopqrw IL:a Lots of things "fall between the cracks.— $$ The leaders and managers "practice what they preach." $g Information is widely shared so that everyone can get the information he or she needs when it's needed. ate Cooperation across different parts of the organization is actively encouraged. �` 1 Iu I, ie LOWEST SCORES Go�S We continuously track our progress against our stated goals. T ide,a wa° ® New and improved ways to do work are continually adopted. mThere is a long-term purpose and direction. We respond well to changes in the business environment, including directions from state/federal government. mThere is a clear strategy for the future. Authors: Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. William S. Neale, M.A., M.L.I.R NUMBERS DENOTE PERCENTILES 1 10/10/2016 1 N=17 1 2015 Normative Dataset "For this negatively worded item, the raw score has been reversed. ©Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. All rights reserved 6 IN ALL CASES, A HIGHER SCORE INDICATES A MORE FAVORABLE CONDITION. Staff meeting October 14, 2016 3:10 p.m. Present: Commissioners Fund and Stamper. Cheryl Millman joined the meeting at 3:11 p.m. and left at 3:20 p.m. Steve Mansfield joined the meeting at 3:28 p.m. and left at 3:52 p.m. Cheryl Millman and Paulette Young joined the meeting at 3:59 p.m. Cheryl Millman left at 4:03 p.m. Recorder: Rieva Lester Commissioner Fund said the flood meeting is at 6 p.m. Tues., Oct. 18, and that the Farm Forestry Association meeting follows at 7. The commissioners and Cheryl Millman talked about the Benaroya property in Winlock and what the property needs. Commissioner Fund said she'd like to set up a meeting with Winlock Mayor Lonnie Dowell, the WIN Network, the EDC, Matt Matayoshi, Gibbs and Olson, and Benaroya. Commissioner Fund called Steve Mansfield at 3:25 p.m. Commissioner Fund said Candy Hallom had requested a work schedule change. Commissioners agreed to change Candy Hallom's schedule to 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. daily. Steve Mansfield joined the meeting at 3:28 p.m. He said the weekend weather event isn't expected to be as significant as some fear. He said the coming storm system would involve wind not water. He said flood fears were low. The group discussed a recent Chronicle story about the hiring of Dave Anderson at E911. The group expressed disappointment that the story did not reflect all of the information provided. The group also expressed disappointment that the article included old news. Steve Mansfield said the news is portraying 911 as a catastrophic meltdown, whereas that's not valid. Commissioner Stamper brought up the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. He asked about how the BOCC should proceed with distributing funds. Commissioner Fund said suggested bringing the committee back together to discuss the allocations. The commissioners discussed the morning's meeting with consultant Kelly Johnston. Commissioners Stamper and Fund both questioned the reasoning behind a consultant interjecting their own personal feelings into their report. Paulette Young gave an update. Meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m. Edited 3-9-2017 to include Recorder's name Staff meeting October 14, 2016 3:10 p.m. Present: Commissioners Fund and Stamper. Cheryl Millman joined the meeting at 3:11 p.m. and left at 3:20 p.m. Steve Mansfield joined the meeting at 3:28 p.m. and left at 3:52 p.m. Cheryl Millman and Paulette Young joined the meeting at 3:59 p.m. Cheryl Millman left at 4:03 p.m. Commissioner Fund said the flood meeting is at 6 p.m. Tues., Oct. 18, and that the Farm Forestry Association meeting follows at 7. The commissioners and Cheryl Millman talked about the Benaroya property in Winlock and what the property needs. Commissioner Fund said she'd like to set up a meeting with Winlocl< Mayor Lonnie Dowell, the WIN Network, the EDC, Matt Matayoshi, Gibbs and Olson, and Benaroya. Commissioner Fund called Steve Mansfield at 3:25 p.m. Commissioner Fund said Candy Hallom had requested a work schedule change. Commissioners agreed to change Candy Hallom's schedule to 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. daily. Steve Mansfield joined the meeting at 3:28 p.m. He said the weekend weather event isn't expected to be as significant as some fear. He said the coming storm system would involve wind not water. He said flood fears were low. The group discussed a recent Chronicle story about the hiring of Dave Anderson at E911. The group expressed disappointment that the story did not reflect all of the information provided. The group also expressed disappointment that the article included old news. Steve Mansfield said the news is portraying 911 as a catastrophic meltdown, whereas that's not valid. Commissioner Stamper brought up the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. He asked about how the BOCC should proceed with distributing funds. Commissioner Fund said suggested bringing the committee back together to discuss the allocations. The commissioners discussed the morning's meeting with consultant Kelly Johnston. Commissioners Stamper and Fund both questioned the reasoning behind a consultant interjecting their own personal feelings into their report. Paulette Young gave an update. Meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m.