Proposed Changes to CD Election & Appointment Guide
May 20, 2021
TO: All Conservation Districts, Chairs, Managers, and Staff
FROM: Bill Eller, Conservation Commission Election Officer
RE: Proposed Changes to Conservation District Election and Appointment Guide
Seeking comments on proposed changes to the conservation district Election and Appointment Guide, comments due by July 9, 2021
The Conservation Commission (Commission) has proposed two changes to the conservation district (CD) Election and Appointment Guide. As per the Commission’s Policy on Policies, the Commission is seeking comment on them. Details on the proposed changes are available below and will be posted on our web page.
The Commission proposes to adopt these changes at their July Commission meeting so that they will be in effect for the upcoming CD elections in January – March 2022.
The due date for comments is 5:00 pm on July 9, 2021. Please use the Election and Appointment Comment form to submit your comments. Comments can also be received by U.S. mail. Please address comments sent by U.S. mail to: Bill Eller, Washington State Conservation Commission, Election Officer, PO Box 47721, Olympia, WA 98504-7721.
Your input helps inform our policies
As you may know, a process has been developed by the Commission to review various agency policies. These policies include those that are specific to internal agency activities (such as personnel policies), policies relating to interactions between the Commission and conservation districts (such as grants policies), and policy positions taken by the Commission. As part of the review process approved by the Commission, policy proposals impacting CDs must be submitted to districts for their review and comment prior to the Commission’s final action.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your participation in this very important process.
Summary:
Commission staff proposed two changes (amended sample notices and sample election resolutions) to the Election and Appointment Guide (Guide) to assist conservation districts in their election. Both changes came about as a result of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff propose the changes be made available to conservation districts as per the Commission’s “Policy on Policies.” Staff would prepare a summary of the comments and present those and the final draft of the Guide for adoption at the next regularly scheduled Commission meeting.
Background and Discussion:
The COVID-19 pandemic social distancing protocols resulted in a number of conservation districts holding their annual election by mail-in only. Previous versions of the Guide had public notices and sample election resolutions that were not specific to mail-in only elections. Commission staff separated out poll-site elections from mail-in elections, and created sample notices and resolutions for each. Those sample notices and resolutions have been added to a draft Guide and now need to be made available to the conservation districts for their comment, as per the Commission’s “Policy on Policies.”
After comments are received for the next 45 days, Commission staff will analyze those comments for possible changes to the draft, and then summarize those comments and provide the final version of the Guide back to the Commission for adoption at the next regular Commission meeting, and in time for use during the next election cycle.
Bill Eller, beller@scc.wa.gov or 509.385.7512
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