With 2024 now in the rearview mirror, here is a recap of the issues and developments that helped define the year for Thurston County.
In a move on Aug. 13, the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) removed Commissioner Emily Clouse from all board and commission positions pending an investigation into a complaint. Details of the complaint were not initially disclosed, but it was later revealed to be an issue involving Clouse’s previous dating relationship with a colleague.
Tensions escalated at the Sept. 3 board meeting when Commissioner Tye Menser's motion to restore Clouse to her committee assignments failed. Menser questioned the board’s reluctance, citing a lack of substantiated allegations in recent reports. Commissioners Wayne Fournier and Gary Edwards emphasized the need for a final investigation report before making any decisions.
Public frustration grew as some residents demanded the release of the final investigative report. During a board meeting in December, community members and former officials criticized the prolonged investigation and perceived unfair treatment of Clouse.
On Dec. 6, the board announced that an independent investigation had found Clouse in violation of ethics policies, including misuse of public resources and deceptive behavior. Clouse expressed regret over her relationship with a county employee and said she’s committed to moving forward.
In a public censure on Dec. 11, the board formally rebuked Clouse for her conduct but voted to reinstate her to regional roles, ending her suspension. Clouse abstained from voting on the censure and criticized the board’s conclusions, calling for a fairer assessment of her actions.
Her alleged conduct led a Thurston County resident to file a recall petition with the Thurston County Auditor's Office on Dec. 12. The petition, which was filed by Arthur West, represents the first step in the recall process, which continues in the new year.
The Washington State Board of Natural Resources (BNR) approved a bidding process for more than 580 acres of Capitol State Forest in 2024.
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners’ opposition against a timber sale, nicknamed Juneau, in 2023 set the stage for what transpired in 2024. The year started with the BNR approving timber sales on patches of land called Cabbage Patch and Carrot in January.
The BNR reversed its decision for Cabbage Patch in February and directed the BoCC in March to develop a plan that protects the county’s “structurally complex” forests, while ensuring that the timber sales beneficiaries are monetarily made whole.
The county was given until Oct. 1 to produce the plan. When the deadline came, the BoCC informed the BNR that it would not be able to come up with a plan within the time frame they were given. Alternatively, the board suggested deferring the harvest on designated areas of Capitol State Forest.
At the same time, long-term solutions were developed as the state has enough harvest-ready plantation forest for 10 years.
The majority of the BNR responded with a hard no when, in November, it approved the bidding on Cabbage Patch again, and on Carrot as it never went into bidding, and on Juneau as its sale had been postponed since 2023. A month later, the board went on to approve more sales for patches of forestland called Evergreen Gold and Cake Walk.
According to the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count final report released on Dec. 30, Thurston County ranks fifth in the state of Washington for homelessness.
The report documented 1,145 individuals experiencing homelessness. The 2024 PIT Count recorded 614 unsheltered individuals, 332 in emergency shelters and 199 in transitional housing.
In August, the nonprofit organization Community Solutions announced in a case study that Thurston County became the fifth community nationwide to collect quality data on all single adults experiencing homelessness.
The study stated that the county’s “quality data” contained real-time and by-name data data sources for all unhoused single adults, including veterans and people experiencing chronic homelessness.
After delaying the approval of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project interlocal agreement (ILA) in October for “further legal review,” the board of commissioners approved the project at the end of the same month.
A resident has filed a lawsuit against the project, and commissioners have raised three issues regarding funding source, use of stormwater funds and indemnification.
Commissioners have said that the project will help the county achieve its environmental restoration goals, repairing historical harm and regional cooperation.
Thurston County's 2024 Comprehensive Plan expands the Grand Mound Urban Growth Area, adds housing at the Wilmovsky site and rezones 66 acres at Black Lake Quarry for industrial use.
It also updates agricultural zoning to resolve a 2020 legal appeal from Futurewise, an environmental advocacy group. Promising housing and economic growth, the plan faces pushback as residents debate its effects on conservation and community priorities.
In June, Thurston County disagreed with the Washington State Auditor’s Office findings regarding its alleged noncompliance with state laws in regards to a $1 million build-out of administrative headquarters.
The auditor's office stated in the county’s Accountability Audit Report covering Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2022, that it “did not comply with state procurement laws and improperly used Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) 1 funds.”
The report stated that the county did not perform competitive bidding when it used $7.5 million of REET 1 revenue to make leasehold improvements on the building, and there was also no competitive bidding for the $242,224 of furniture and equipment it purchased through a contract amendment.
Infrastructure and public safety improvements are underway in Thurston County with $32 million in bond funding: $20 million for a sheriff’s office building, $10 million for a ballot processing center and $2 million for Family Justice Center security. Funded through Public Safety Sales Tax revenue, the investments aim to strengthen public safety and election operations.
Thurston County improved its law enforcement efforts and secured a $4.91 million Axon contract for upgraded body cameras, vehicle cameras and tasers.
The county is also expanding Grappler Police Bumper systems for safer high-speed pursuits and renewing a jail overflow agreement with Lewis County to manage rising inmate populations and capacity challenges. Complementing these upgrades, the K-9 Unit continues to make an impact, with dogs like K-9 Mac and K-9 Asher excelling in tracking suspects and helping solve high-stakes cases across the county.
The Thurston Board of County Commissioners appointed Leonard Hernandez as the new county manager on Feb. 12. Hernandez, who previously served in a similar capacity in San Bernardino, California, officially assumed his role on April 1.
In November, Thurston County’s Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials recommended that the commissioners receive a $12,328 monthly salary, 6% more than the 2024 rate, effective on Jan. 1, 2025. The commissioners can approve other countywide elected officials' salaries, but do not have the authority to approve their own. The news garnered mixed opinions from the general public.
Newly elected District 2 Commissioner Rachel Grant joined reelected District 1 Commissioner Carolina Mejia and District 4 Commissioner Wayne Fournier in taking their oaths of office during Thurston County’s year-end meeting on Dec. 17. The ceremony also included a tribute to outgoing District 2 Commissioner Gary Edwards, who was recognized for decades of public service.
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Mugwump
If we truly cared about the unhoused we could go a long way toward resolving the issue by caring for the mentally ill and substance addicted people on the streets. Handing out money and providing housing with no strings attached is a weak imitation of real compassion. Real compassion is treating the root cause of being without a house for most but not all of those we see on the street. Granted, housing costs are exclusionary but that has little or nothing to do with the people we see daily acting out a manic phase in the middle of an intersection or nodding out on a sidewalk.
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