ISLAND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS   -   MINUTES OF MEETING

SPECIAL SESSION  -  NOVEMBER 13, 2002

 

The Board of Island County Commissioners  met  in Special Session on Wednesday,  November 13, 2002, beginning at 11:00 a.m.  in the Island County Courthouse Administration Building, Conference Room #116, 1 N. E. 7th Street, Coupeville, Wa.    The purpose of the  special session was to appoint an interim or acting Treasurer to fill the vacancy in that office due to the untimely death of Maxine Sauter over the weekend. Mike  Shelton, Chairman; Wm. L. McDowell, Member; William F. Thorn, Member, were in attendance.

 

Others Attending:   Suzanne Sinclair, Auditor; Elaine Marlow, Clerk of the Board/Budget Director; Dick Toft, Human Resource Director; David L. Jamieson, Jr.,  Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney;  Rick Renouard, Chief Deputy Treasurer;  Linda Riffe, Treasurer-elect; Rick Levin, Whidbey News Times Reporter; and  Bill Strowbridge, Citizen.

 

David L. Jamieson, Jr.  explained from a  legal perspective the course of action the Board could take. Statutes dealing with counties allow the Commissioners to  appoint an employee,  who is serving or was serving as a deputy or assistant in that office at the time  the vacancy occurred,  as the acting  or interim Treasurer   to perform all necessary duties until a successor is elected or appointed, and  can be in place for up to 60 days,  maximum.  Either someone has to be appointed or the person elected at the general election that just took place will have to take office within that 60 day period.  Mr. Jamieson will  research  and get back to the  Board to determine whether or not the person elected at the November 5th General Election will take office early as a result of the creation of the vacancy, or whether  an interim appointee or one appointed from the same  political party will need to finish out the term through December 31st. 

 

Absent the Treasurer-elect  taking office early, should the Board appoint  someone working in the office in the interim, Chairman Shelton did not think it would be logical to go to the Republican Party to come up with a candidate for this short period of time and the alternative would be for the Board to appoint a person today to maintain the office until January 1, 2003 when the Treasurer-elect takes office.  Commissioners McDowell and Thorn agreed.

 

Commissioner  Thorn moved to appoint Rick Renouard as the interim Island County  Treasurer until such time as the duly elected person is able to take office. Motion, seconded by Commissioner McDowell, carried unanimously.

 

Commissioner  Thorn  next moved that the interim Island County Treasurer, Rick Renouard, be paid at the full rate of the Island County Treasurer’s salary for the interim that he serves, and that while he does, he would not lose any benefits that accrue to him as an employee of the Treasurer’s office. Motion, seconded by Commissioner McDowell, carried unanimously. 

 

Meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m. 

 

 

                                                                        BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

                                                                        ISLAND COUNTY, WASHINGTON

 

 

                                                                        ___________________________

                                                                        Mike Shelton, Chairman

 

                                                                        _____________________________

                                                                        Wm. L. McDowell,  Member 

 

                                                                        _____________________________

                                                                        William F. Thorn, Member

 

ATTEST:

 

 

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Elaine Marlow,  Clerk of the Board