Thurston County offices now closed to the public due to COVID-19
The majority of Thurston County commissioners agreed Wednesday to close county facilities to the public through April 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Shutting the doors to the public, in my opinion, is the most unselfish thing we can do, as long as they have access to get work done that’s important to them and important to the county,” board chair John Hutchings said Wednesday.
In the initial discussion, Commissioner Gary Edwards suggested the commission should also make changes to the county’s permitting process in light of the crisis. That discussion continued at a work session Thursday morning.
“I’m proposing that, until this situation is under control, that we grant an amnesty ... ” Edwards said. He later clarified that he was referring to eliminating any need for building permits during the crisis. Alternatively, Edwards suggested citizens be able to pay 1 percent of estimated permit costs until a permit is in hand.
Edwards has consistently advocated for similar ideas in county meetings. Commissioner Tye Menser said Thursday he was not interested in the amnesty idea, but was interested in getting more information on the second idea. However, he doesn’t believe Edwards’ ideas are related to COVID-19.
“I have to just point out, commissioner, a couple months ago, at a planning session, you made a motion to eliminate building permits, period,” Menser said. “That had nothing to do with COVID. So, I don’t see this as being emergency, COVID-related. This is a policy thing that you’re very consistent about.”
At the end of Thursday’s work session, Director of Community Planning & Economic Development Joshua Cummings said his department would engage with legal staff and “explore what it would be like to not have building permits and how legal that would be” while under this state of emergency.
How to access county services
“We’re practicing a little bit different, but we’re committed to providing the same services,” County Manager Ramiro Chavez said in an interview with The Olympian Thursday.
Some services are available online, and drop boxes will be available outside county buildings, according to a county press release.
The Sheriff’s Office, courts, Prosecuting Attorney, and the Clerk’s Office can operate under separate restrictions, Chavez said.
How services are impacted will vary by department or office. One example of a service halted due to required in-person interaction: Passport services at the county Auditor’s Office.
Most offices’ and courts’ individual websites offer more specific details:
Assessor’s Office: https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/assessor/
Auditor’s Office: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/auditor
Treasurer’s Office: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/treasurer/Pages/default.aspx
Coroner’s Office: https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/coroner/
Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/pao/
Sheriff’s Office: https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/sheriff/
Thurston County Clerk: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/clerk
District Court: https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/distcrt/
Superior Court: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/sc
Contact information for offices and departments is available online: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/tchome/Pages/contact.aspx.
According to the county:
Solid waste facilities are operating during normal business hours, including the Waste & Recovery Center (WARC), the Rochester Drop Box Facility, and the Rainier Drop Box Facility.
Utility payments can be made online at https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/publicworks/onlinepayments.html, and there’s a drop box outside the Public Works office.
Community Planning & Economic Development’s website has specific information regarding its Building Development Center online: https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/permitting/.
Board of County Commissioner meetings will still be open to the public. The North door to Building 1 at the county courthouse complex will be open for 10 minutes before the board and convenes and for 10 minutes after it adjourns.
Chairs in the audience will be spaced 6 feet apart, and an overflow room will be considered if those seats fill.
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