Thurston County commissioners say big decisions deserve more attention from locals  

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) is questioning how well the public is being kept informed about high-impact board actions.

Commissioners are alarmed that items are frequently buried in the consent calendar and passed without public awareness or discussion. 

At the BoCC agenda-setting meeting on Tuesday, April 8, several commissioners raised concerns and said they want that process to change. 

CTR plan 

The discussion began with the consent item to approve the “updated Thurston County Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Local Plan, establishing new four-year targets and program strategies.” 

The CTR ordinance has been in place since 1999, and is managed by the Thurston Regional Planning Council, according to Climate Mitigation Senior Program Manager Rebecca Harvey. Harvey told the board the required four-year update had been completed in coordination with county staff. 

Commissioner Rachel Grant said the item may be too significant to just sit in the consent calendar alongside standard contracts and payments. 

“Would this be something we might want to have off the consent agenda to highlight? Do we already have a meeting where the community is going to know the new four-year targets and strategies, or are we just approving?” Grant inquired. 

Harvey stated although Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) had conducted “stakeholder outreach” with affected workplaces, the county itself had not held a public meeting on the updated targets. 

Grant said she had followed the process, but noted most residents had not. 

“We’re not just approving something and saying this is being approved. But instead, we’re saying this is being approved — here’s why. … There are some substantive changes to the new targets to hit, and I want everyone to know about it,” Grant said. 

BoCC Chair Tye Menser agreed, stating the item was not just “a procedural piece” on an agenda. 

“Typically, it’s done in a block with no discussion, no information presented. That’s why it’s like approving the vouchers or approving the contract renewals,” Menser said. 

Grant argued the consent process can distance the public from decisions that affect them. She warned that a lack of discussion on meaningful public projects could cause them to go unnoticed without giving it a spotlight.

She also said residents don’t always have access to context or explanation when items are folded into a bulk vote. 

Consent agenda practices 

In response to growing concern that policy decisions are being bundled into bulk approvals, the county officials looked into process behind consent items and discussed ways to surface county topics without changing the structure entirely. 

Seeking a practical solution, County Manager Leonard Hernandez proposed a way to highlight items without removing them from the consent agenda. 

“If you want a staff presentation to make a comment, but they stay on consent, you can do that. … You say, ‘Commissioners, are there any items that you would like to pull or you’d like more information on?’” 

The item would stay on the consent calendar, but staff could be called up to provide a brief explanation ahead of the vote.

According to Hernandez, the process balances meeting flow with the need to surface significant topics. 

“You get the motion, the second, before you take the vote. … Then you just call staff up. They give a quick overview. You can ask a couple of questions.” 

Commissioner Emily Clouse asked if there was official documentation, such as meeting minutes or board action, that had been given to staff regarding the increased use of the consent agenda. 

Hernandez confirmed there was no resolution or formal guidance. Rather than being the result of a vote, the change came through repeated commissioner comments in past meetings, suggesting more items be added to the consent calendar. 

BoCC Vice Chair Wayne Fournier supported the timeline. 

“I think last quarter of last year, there were several meetings where we shifted a bunch of just Monday and everyday items over. It just made sense because a lot of this is not necessarily substantive," he said. 

Fournier also cautioned against redundancy, saying it would be inefficient to have staff repeat the same presentations multiple times during meetings. He said such repetition could turn the process into a performative routine rather than a functional discussion. 

Still, he defended transparency. 

“I don’t think there’s anything that we do in secret. … There are a lot of different ways that we can get information out there. If you follow The JOLT News, they report every conversation that we have,” Fournier said. 

Improving agenda transparency 

Attention then turned to solutions for bridging the gap between “procedural efficiency” and effective public outreach, particularly for items that carry long-term policy implications. 

To avoid overloading the agenda, Fournier recommended a direct communication strategy to raise public awareness without slowing down meeting proceedings. 

“Ask Rebecca to give us 10 minutes of explanation on this, and then you ping whatever media outlets are out there, and they write articles on these things, and people see them en masse," he said.

Hernandez then offered to use the “County Manager comment section” to give summaries of notable agenda items. 

Hernandez also added the incoming “Chief Communications Manager” could support efforts to inform the public by producing short video segments.

The videos would be posted on the county’s social media platforms and shown at public meetings to reach more residents. 

“A quick little video that says, ‘Here’s some great things that we’re working on.’ We could also play it as part of our meeting,” Hernandez explained. 

The BoCC appeared inclined to try out the process recommended by Hernandez. They said it could help raise visibility on policy items that matter to the public. They also stressed the importance of outreach on complex issues like the CTR plan. 

Before ending the discussion, Menser told commissioners to keep noting items that might require clarification or should be handled outside the consent agenda. 

“Keep flagging items for either pulling out of consent or having additional information. We’ll figure that out later," he said.

The board agreed to discuss the matter further in a work session.