Bipartisan group urges Snohomish County to publish measurable goals and results for programs

Members of the Braver Angels Snohomish County chapter asked the Snohomish County Council during public comment on March 12 to adopt a five-step process for defining, measuring and publicly reporting the results of county programs.

The request, delivered in person by Lisa Stetler of Machias and Ryan Rolla of unincorporated Everett, said participants in a recent Braver Angels workshop produced unanimous recommendations on transparency and evaluation for county spending. "We believe the people of Snohomish County are hungry for bipartisan practical solutions to local government issues," Stetler said.

The group's proposed process calls for the county executive or council to (1) define clear goals constituting success for each program, (2) gather evidence from people with lived experience and subject-matter experts to identify measurable results, (3) apply those measures to individual programs, (4) evaluate outcomes and adjust routinely—ideally through an independent auditor—and (5) communicate results to the public through open data and clear public statements. "People... didn't know what the value is exactly that they were getting because it wasn't being communicated by the county," Rolla said, describing workshop feedback.

Stetler said workshop participants found the exercise meaningful and planned to hold more bipartisan events and to share similar findings in the future. She and Rolla provided the council office with a written outline summarizing the workshop recommendations.

The comments were made during the meeting's public comment period and did not prompt immediate council action; council members acknowledged receipt of the materials for the record.