Regional Housing Council opts to schedule a single follow-up retreat session

The Thurston County Regional Housing Council decided to pursue a single, separate meeting to continue work begun at its May 30 retreat, with staff to circulate a Doodle poll to identify date options.

The council's chair, Emily Klaus, identified the May 30 retreat as productive but in need of more time to finalize a vision and mission statements. Tom Webster, a staff member, said the group had offered two follow-up options: use regular RHC meetings for one-hour sessions over several months, or hold a single two- to four-hour separate meeting. Webster said the nonvoting members showed a slight preference for the separate meeting and that staff would move forward to find dates if the group agreed.

Why it matters: RHC members and advisory-board participants spent significant time at the retreat developing a draft vision and mission; the follow-up will decide whether that work continues in regular meetings or in a focused session. The council discussed facilitator costs and scheduling constraints for summer months.

Members asked staff to move quickly to schedule the separate session. Michael Altauser said, "If we can schedule it, I think option 2 makes the most sense to just get it done, in one continuous meeting." Staff said they would send a Doodle poll by the end of the week or early next week to find a July date if possible, acknowledging July can be difficult for availability. Webster reported a facilitator quote from Amy Linacre of about $12,000 to support three one-hour meetings, with a one-time four-hour meeting costing slightly less.

The group also asked for more time to finalize a recommended vision statement; staff said technical-team work remains and a recommendation of one or two options will come back to the RHC at a future meeting.

The chair closed discussion and asked staff to proceed with scheduling and follow-up materials.