Clallam County water committee finalizes recommendation and job description language for proposed water-resources specialist amendment

CLALLAM COUNTY, Wash. — The Clallam County Charter Review Commission Water Committee on July 21 finished edits to a recommendation and a public Q&A that accompany a proposed charter amendment to create or retain a county water-resources specialist, and agreed to seek written input from stakeholders before the full commission considers the amendment.

“My understanding of where we stand is that the actual charter amendment has been…voted on by the commission, so we can't really do anything about that,” Paul Pickett, chair of the Water Committee, said during the meeting, describing the amendment as now scheduled for the next commission meeting. The committee nonetheless refined the recommendation and public-facing Q&A that would accompany the amendment if it goes forward.

The committee’s work focused on two areas: the job qualifications for the proposed specialist and the public-facing language explaining how the position could be funded. Members debated whether to list specific degrees and minimum years of experience or to use broader, open-ended language that would allow candidates with nontraditional backgrounds but relevant skills to qualify. After discussion the committee removed a redundant item in the qualifications list and agreed to tighten wording to refer to a bachelor-level…