1. Mark Gasway: Finance Director for CC. Offered to help provide CRC with CC financial information, given that some of the proposed amendments may have financial impact on the County; what the financial impacts of the proposals might be. General fund is source of support for all law and justice activities in the county (sheriff’s office, courts, corrections, jail services, prosecuting attorney, public defense), which accounts for 75% of the GF. For the first time, in 2025, CC had more expenditures than revenue.

2. Mitchell Kelly: Reporting and Analysis Manager for CC. Prepares CC annual comprehensive financial report; available on CC website. Also produces Popular annual financial report that summarizes key financial data in a more concise and user-friendly format.

3. Larry Stafford: Incoming finance Director (Gasway is retiring). Previously Audit Services Manager. Offers audit analysis information help, including performance audits.

Approval of Minutes of March 25, 2026

Discussion regarding amending the minutes to include Second Reading roll call votes, not just the number of ayes, nays and abstentions. Motion passes.
Approval of 3/25/26 Minutes are tabled to a future meeting, after they have been amended with the roll call votes.
Erickson: Motion that future minutes will reflect the roll call votes for Second Readings. Motion passes.

Executive Committee Reports

Garber: Regarding the task of obtaining bids for outside legal help to assist with language of the proposed amendments on the ballot: Should the Executive Committee handle this or allow any commissioner to o er names? Need to follow the county procurement process; County Manager needs information on the project’s parameters, and then will get the process moving to collect bids. CRC votes on final decision. Motion to allow Executive Committee to engage with MRSC and other service providers through the county procurement process. Motion passes by unanimous vote.
Erickson: Encourages chairs of each PA study committee to seek out financial information/feedback from Financial Office staff (see public comment above), and to post that with the study committee form/report on the website.

Comments by CCC Chair, Sue Marshall: (minute 50:00)

Overall concerns:

Encourages CRC to have a longer work session with the Financial O ice so they can become more informed about the CC budget process and financial implications of some of the amendments.
Exercise due diligence to seek out a legal review of some of the PAs to make sure that they are within the CRC’s and/or CCC’s scope before they go onto the ballot, as well as a fiscal analysis.
Urges caution about number of items on the ballot given the cost. ($15-30K/item)

Comments on specific PAs:

26-07 Requiring Land Supply and Construction Cost Analysis: The Development Engineering Advisory Board reviews all of the proposed code changes, shares any concerns, and things get modified if they go along. The PA could have staff cost impacts and possibly delay permitting.
26-08 Requiring Supermajority Council Approval for County Taxes: CC has few options for raising revenue (property tax and sales tax, both of which are down). CC currently in both a structural deficit and operating deficit. Many recent past years the CCC did not take the 1%tax increase; budgets are tight in all departments. Current uncertainty in federal funding, along with state mandates, such as in public defense, could add even more stress to the CC budget.
26-10 Revised Budget Transparency Process: Timing of budget process: CRC should hear from budget director and County Manager on possible impact. Transparency: budget posted online; not many members of the public weigh-in on it.
26-12 Prioritize Public Safety and 26-26 Requirement to Support Public Safety : Believes public safety is already a priority. Need a holistic view of entire justice system; can’t just look at one piece (number of sheriff’s deputies) without looking at impacts to other pieces (jail, courts, public defense, etc.
26-13 Legislative Branch Employees: No problem currently that this PA is trying to fix. Sta already answers to Council. If the PA passed, the shared staff would end up having 5 “supervisors” (5 CCC councilors)
26-14 Performance Audits: Suggests requiring that CC Council sees audits (regardless of the results of the audits) and that audits are presented to public.
26-20 Limitation on Consecutive Terms for County Council Members: Not an issue; can’t think of anyone who’s served three terms. The electeds, the department heads and County Manager, and the lobbyists all share influence on County decisions. Limiting only the Council, via term limits, reduces their influence.
26-21 Executive Elected Officials to Remain Elected, not Appointed: Not been an issue. The council isn’t interested in making appointments.
26-16 Authorize Council Removal of Appointed Councilors from Boards/Commissions and Direction of Votes by Simple Majority: Council is currently putting this into their “Rules and Procedures”; recent legal opinion also gave the Council that authority ..
26-35 Public Defense Adequacy and Transparency: state mandated it; now CC has to figure out how to finance it.

Questions/Discussion:

Landesberg: Regarding “Belkot” amendment (removing Councilors from Boards/Commissions): Putting it in the charter would bolster the change in the CCC’s rules and procedures so that subsequent councils couldn’t change it.
Jay: Asks for ideas for future PAs? Marshall: Needs to think about.

Committee Reports

Public Outreach Committee: Chair Holmgren: Committee met with CC communication staff to discuss process on collecting feedback on the “survey” and the strategy for social media. Seeking locations and May dates for 5 town halls.
Proposed Amendment Study Committees: Status updates on study committees for PAs that made it through 2nd Readings.

Comments by Support Staff:

Kevin (attorney): Clarifies OPMA (Open Public Meetings Act) with regards to the CRC study committees. Assuming no study committee has a majority of commissioners on it, OPMA would apply to a committee or a subcommittee only if they are exercising decision-making authority. If they are acting in purely advisory role and reporting recommendations back to CRC, OPMA doesn’t apply.

Old Business: none

New Business: Second Readings of Proposed Amendments

26-08 Requiring Supermajority Council Approval for County Taxes—sponsor: Comm. John Jay

Intent: Require broader CC Council agreement before imposing new taxes or raising existing ones, including property and sales taxes, to limit County tax increases and help CC residents with overall cost of living.
Discussion:
Comm. Landesberg: How many votes to raise taxes were passed by a majority (3) vs. a supermajority (4)? Jay doesn’t know. Landesberg: Is this really a problem? Jay: Even it hasn’t been an issue in the past, it could be in the future.
Comm. Adigweme: Asked about a previous comment Comm. Jay made(CRC 2/4/26) that, “generally in a democratic republic you operate by a majority and a majority is powerful enough on its own. So if we actually want to conduct business we need to stick to a simple majority.” How does that line up with his belief that CCC needs a supermajority to raise taxes?
Comm. Garber: A supermajority gives inordinate power to the minority.
Comm. Christly: This PA embeds financial policy restrictions into the charter. What problem would be fixed by locking in a higher threshold for CC Council voting on this single policy issue?
Comm Cline: Asserted that “taking property taxes is taking property.”
Comm. LaBrandt: Called out Comm. Jay, saying that his response to Comm. Landesberg was “dismissive.” Asked for decorum.
Comm. Holmgren: Requiring a supermajority for Council only when setting the budget undermines majority rule while empowering the minority.
Vote: Yes: 8; No: 7
Committee: Chair Jay; cosponsors: Comm. Donnelly, Benton, Cline, Silliman.

26-12 Prioritize Public Safety—sponsor Comm. Silliman

Intent: Priorities law enforcement deputy staffing. Funding for adequate public safety is a paramount duty of the County. Increase ratio of deputy staffing per number of CC residents to near national averages for similar department, and come up with a plan to achieve that goal.
Discussion:
Comm. Holmgren: Claimed that the PA discourages the legislative body from engaging to actually solve problems.
Comm. Adigweme: need to look at whole picture of law and justice; safety is a lot more than # officers. Asked for a plan to pay for this.
Comm Garber: Cited RCW3632120 as providing authority to Count
legislative body to set priorities. Amending the charter to set financial priorities removes the flexibility and responsiveness of the County Council, based on evolving circumstances, such as emergencies and changing economic conditions.
Comm. Christy: What happens to other county services, if public safety obligation is highest priority?
Gasque: public safety is already a priority. Codifying the number of deputies would take decisions/resources away from Council and limit implementing a broad spectrum of public safety measures.
Vote: Yes: 8 No: 7
Committee: Chair Silliman; cosponsors Comm. Cline, Benton, Jay, Donnelly

26-20 Limitation on Consecutive Terms for Council Members –sponsor:Comm. Erickson

Intent: To promote periodic leadership renewal on the CC Council while balancing continuity and institutional knowledge Limits consecutive service (to 3 terms), but not on lifetime service. (Would have to take at least 1 year o after 3 years)
Discussion:
Comm. Landesberg: Wondered if is this a problem based on past history? Asked if it’s legal for the two people running for Council to vote on this PA?
Comm. Garber: Believes voters can decide who they want on the council by voting. Comm. Erickson is concerned that if PA 26-03 (Increase in CC Council Salaries and Compensation) is implemented, it would make it more attractive for Councilors to remain on the Council.
Comm. Adigweme: Why is this only targeting CCC members, not other electeds? Comm Erickson: CCC is the people’s branch of government and where there is most opportunity for renewal.
Comm. Holmgren: Said that research shows that term limits change legislative behavior. Possible unintended consequences: ex. A councilor who’s term- limited might spend time seeking other o ice. PA may not make elections more competitive because potential challenger may wait to run until there is an open election (no incumbent). Comm Erickson disagreed, citing how competitive the Auditor’s race is this year, with Kimsey leaving.
Votes: Yes: 8 No: 7
Committee: Chair Erickson; cosponsors: Comm. Adigweme, Christly, Gasgue, Holmgren.

26-23 Revised Council Powers Regarding Boards and Commissions—sponsor Comm. Adigweme

Intent: Expand permissible council nominations for boards and commissions. CCC would have concurrent authority with the County Manager to nominate people to all boards/commissions, not only the ones the Council can already nominate to (CC Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and Board of Equalization of Assessment Commission). Excludes Ethics Commission. No changes to the process; it’s a structural correction to the Charter.
Discussion: Why can’t a CC councilor just tell someone to apply directly to City Manager? Answer: PA cuts out the “middle man” and Councilor can go straight from nominating someone to that someone interviewing with the chosen board or commission.
Votes: Yes: 14 No: 1
Committee: Chair Adigweme; Cosponsors: Comm Holmgren, Christly, Garber

26-26 Clark County’s Requirement to Support Public Safety—sponsor Comm. Ann Donnelly

Intent: To affirm that it is the paramount duty of the County to make ample provisions for public safety by addressing the long-standing staffing crisis within the Clark County Sheri ’s O ice (CCSO) that is putting both the public and law enforcement in danger. Get County deputies to staffing level of 85% of 2025 WA state average. Funding via various sources, including public safety tax, general fund, WA legislature.
Discussion: Many Commissioners said that the need for deputies is obvious, but there is concern regarding the cost impacts on CC’s budget..
Votes: Yes: 11 No: 4
Committee: Chair Donnelly; Comm. Gasque, Jay, Hoss, Benton Donnelly and Silliman will talk about blending their two amendments.

26-09 and 26-13 Deferred to next CRC meeting

Good of the Order:LeBrandt: Asks that CRC keep questions focused for 2nd readings; more time for debate during Committee presentations

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