PORT TOWNSEND — A proposal to change Jefferson County into a charter county, which was put on the back burner in September, is being revived for possible inclusion on the November 2011 ballot.
“The purpose remains first and foremost to create a convention of voters, ‘freeholders,’ to look at redefining the county governmental structure,” said Davis Steelquist Jr. of Quilcene, who is now circulating the petitions seeking the requisite 1,764 or so signatures to begin the process.
“Then, the work begins,” he said.
Steelquist aims to have the question of forming a freeholders’ convention on the November 2011 ballot.
If it passes, then the elected freeholders would draft a charter that would be on the November 2012 ballot.
Steelquist envisions a complete reboot of county government, with the development of a home rule charter document from which to govern that is custom-made for Jefferson County.
“A charter system will bring the county in sync with the ability to govern itself, and it would better represent rural areas,” Steelquist said.
While the specifics of the charter would be worked out later, the motivating factor in this effort is to elect commissioners from their home district and not at large countywide.
The results of Tuesday’s election have added impetus to Steelquist’s efforts.
County Commissioner John Austin won a second term in the countywide general election vote but had he been elected only by his district, he would have lost — at least according to the tally as of Friday, which lacks 350 ballots that have not yet been counted.
Countywide, Austin, a Port Ludlow Democrat, took 9,491 votes, or 57.8 percent, as of Friday’s count.
His challenger, Republican Jim Boyer, also of Port Ludow, gained 6,930 votes, or 42.2 percent, countywide.
But in District 3, which covers the south and west of East Jefferson County, Boyer won 3,178 votes, or 54.30 percent of the district’s turnout, while Austin had 2,674 votes, or 45.69 percent.
The totals could change. The next tabulation of outstanding ballots will be Wednesday, but Auditor Donna Eldridge said that the 350 outstanding ballots won’t change the outcome of the election.
District 3 has 7,548 registered voters.
Steelquist cites Austin’s level of support in his district as a motivating force for the charter effort, but said he would have circulated the petition if Boyer had prevailed.
The charter proposal is nonpartisan, he said, and is intended to provide a better, more efficient government for Jefferson County. He also would like to see West Jefferson County get better representation.
He had began gathering signatures in July, but found that people were more concerned with other issues.
“Now that the election is over, it’s time to really get in and start working on this process,” Steelquist said.
The first step in the process is to gather signatures equaling a number that is 10 percent of the number of voters in the last general election, which at last count is about 17,636, requiring a petition signed by 1,764 voters.
Steelquist has gathered about 600 names and is aiming for a total of 2,000.
Charter measures can appear only on general election ballots. A completed petition must be submitted by Aug. 1 to make the November ballot.
If the petition meets all the requirements, the county commissioners are bound to put the measure on the ballot, Steelquist said.
Voters would elect up to 24 volunteer freeholders who would be charged with developing the charter. The county commissioners would set the number of freeholders.
“The freeholders can create the government they want,” Steelquist said.
“They can change the number of commissioners and say how much each one makes or decide which positions are elected and which are appointed.”
Of the 39 Washington state counties, six are charter counties. That includes Clallam, which adopted its charter in 1979 and which has amended it several times since.
Others are King (adopted in 1969), Pierce (1981), Snohomish (1980), Whatcom (1979) and San Juan (2005).
All except Clallam, which retained the three-member county commission, have adopted a council-executive form of government.
A county’s charter is reviewed every 10 years.
“If you have a charter in your county you have some real say about what goes on in your government and how it functions,” said Silverdale resident Jack Hamilton, a 2006 Republican candidate for Kitsap County commissioner who served as a freeholder during Kitsap County’s unsuccessful charter vote in 2002.
“You can establish which positions need to be partisan, how much you pay people and how many commissioners you need to have.”
Hamilton said he was not surprised that Jefferson County voters were considering a charter because land use and water issues often result in a charter action.
If a charter measure were successful, those elected under the current system would serve out their terms and any changes — such as pay adjustments or nonpartisan designations — would take place at the end of those terms.
Instead of the current system, there could be five part-time commissioners, Steelquist suggested.
Currently, there are three commissioners who serve full time.
Austin said the proposal could limit the number of people who would seek office.
“If you make the commissioner’s position part time, a lot of people won’t run because they won’t be able to afford it,” he said.
“It will cut down on the people who are willing to run.”
Changing the county’s form of government could be expensive, said Jefferson County Administrator Philip Morley.
“Changing over to a charter system could take a lot of time and cost a lot of money,” he said.
Morley wouldn’t speculate about whether Jefferson County would function better or worse under a charter government, saying “it depends on what the people decide.”
For more information, visit http://homerulecharter.wordpress.com or write charterjefferson@gmail.com.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
