County and Port set public hearings on new district boundaries

Voters approved increasing size of both commissions to 5 members

Posted

CORRECTION: November 28, 2022 -- We corrected the date of the Port of Olympia's hearing. It is set for tomorrow, as shown below.  We regret the error.

The Thurston Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) set a public hearing for the proposed five County Commissioners District boundary lines on Wednesday, December 7, waiving the 20-day public hearing notice requirement.

County Manager Ramiro Chavez said election data as of press time shows that 55.1% voted to increase elected county commissioners from three to five, while 44.9% voted against the proposition.

“The statute only requires a simple majority, and there are only a quarter few votes left,” says Chavez. “Most likely, this will be certified on approving the proposition.”

Community members may share their insights on district boundaries during the hearing at the Thurston County Courthouse Thursday, December 8, in person at  Building 1, Room 280, at 3:30 p.m. or participate online.

Port of Olympia

Meanwhile, the Port of Olympia will have its public hearing on Tuesday, November 29, starting at 5:30 p.m., at Percival Plaza - Olympics Room, 626 Columbia Street NW. Attendance and public comments can also be done online.

Formal action on approving the district boundaries would be on December 13, said Chavez.

RCW 36.32.055 authorizes any non-charter county, like Thurston, with a population of 300,000 or more and less than 400,000, to cause a ballot proposition at a general election on whether to authorize BOCC to increase its members to five.

Based on the latest data from the Office of Financial Management, Thurston County has a population size of 300,500.

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