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05/30/2023 MINUTES 1 <br />COMMISSIONERS' MINUTES <br />KITTITAS COUNTY, WASHINGTON <br />AUDITORIUM <br />SPECIAL MEETING <br /> <br />MONDAY 10:00 A.M. MAY 30, 2023 <br /> <br />Board members present: Chairman Cory Wright; Vice-Chairman Brett <br />Wachsmith and Commissioner Laura Osiadacz. <br /> <br />Others: Julie Kjorsvik, Clerk of the Board; Doug Mitchell, Deputy <br />Prosecutor III; Chris Horner, Deputy Prosecutor III; Neil Caulkins, <br />Chief Civil Deputy Prosecutor; Stephanie Hartung, Deputy Prosecutor <br />III; and Greg Zempel, Prosecutor. <br /> <br />SPECIAL MEETING PROSECUTOR CIVIL TEAM COMMISSIONERS <br /> <br />Chairman Wright opened a Special Meeting with the Prosecutor and his <br />Civil team to discuss ways to better communicate, collaborate, and <br />determine what the Board’s needs, wants, and expectations are. He <br />said the Board understands how the Prosecutors are being pulled in <br />all different directions and acknowledges how it can be a challenge. <br />The Board asked what a process would look like to be able to have <br />the Prosecutors office check in and stay on top of issues. <br /> <br />Greg Zempel, Prosecutor, explained how it’s easier to work with <br />Department Heads individually than the Board due to the OPMA <br />requirements for discussing County business. For example, the <br />Commissioners cannot all be included in CAMAS service requests but <br />rather only one to ensure there’s no communication going on between <br />them. He asked the Commissioners to involve their office from the <br />beginning of projects, instead of being asked for assistance in the <br />middle of something. He said they would like to be more proactive <br />but would also like to know where the Board wants to go in the next <br />6-12 months so they can all be on the same page. <br /> <br />There was a suggestion to have a quarterly Executive Sessions <br />relating to litigation matters. Neil Caulkins, Chief Civil Deputy, <br />explained how he sits in various meetings with the Board, as well as <br />he meets individually with Department Heads. <br /> <br />Chairman Wright said the Board understands how the Prosecutor’s time <br />is valuable, and communication is extremely important. He asked what <br />they should do if there’s an urgent matter that comes up. Mr. Zempel <br />encouraged the Board to reach out to the Legal Assistants by either <br />email and/or phone if they can’t get ahold of the Prosecutor <br />assigned to them, they can triage the issue and give them <br />information on the next steps. He reiterated how important it was to <br />get their office involved early on so they can plan and allocate <br />time so it’s more productive for everyone.