Thurston County commissioners used part of the agenda-setting meeting on Jan. 7 to discuss follow-up from a recently adopted resolution addressing governance and accountability.

Several commissioners said they want to put guardrails in place after the events cited in the resolution, and they discussed possible training and supervisory development for the commissioner identified in the resolution. Commissioner Emily Klaus described a set of risk-pool trainings she had registered for or planned to take, including harassment and retaliation prevention, minimizing workplace gossip, emotional-intelligence development and managing challenging conversations. She said she had not yet registered for one "supervisor boot camp" because registration closed and she was seeking an exception.

Commissioners asked County Manager Leonard Hernandez and HR to provide: precise fiscal information on how legal settlements and related expenditures are funded and the current status of those budget lines; historic trends in liability payouts; and the budgetary impact of any settlements the county has paid. Multiple commissioners said they wanted those financial details quickly so they could decide whether to proceed with hiring an executive assistant for a commissioner position.

Commissioner Mike McKeown (note: transcript indicates other commissioners by surname as well) offered temporary assistance from his office staff for interim support while the board awaits information. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized they were not seeking to prejudge personnel decisions but wanted HR and the county manager to recommend objective, verifiable steps for restoring public trust and ensuring consistent hiring practices. The board directed staff to provide the requested fiscal data and to advise on appropriate training and hiring-panel procedures; several commissioners said they were open to empowering HR and the county manager to direct next steps once the information was available.