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Commissioner announces auditor promotions, office reorganization aimed at $90,000 in annual savings
Summary
Commissioner Trasco said Marie Stevenson will leave and Casey Flatigger will become chief deputy, and that the auditor's office will be reduced by one FTE to save about $90,000; commissioners asked staff to verify the county's general-fund reserve standing after conflicting statements.
Commissioner Trasco announced a reorganization of the auditor’s office after two staff departures and a planned internal promotion. "After 20 years of excellent service, Marie Stevenson is taking a job with Lewis County," Trasco said, adding that "starting today, Casey Flatigger will now serve as chief deputy auditor." Trasco told the board the changes will reduce the office from 15 full‑time equivalents to 14 and are expected to save roughly $90,000 a year in salary (not including benefits).
The move also coincides with the retirement of Susan Blankenship, who Trasco said is leaving after 26 years in elections. Trasco described the reorganizing step — including eliminating a licensing-and‑recording manager role and flattening reporting from four levels to two — as intended to improve cross‑training, accountability and process improvements.
Why it matters: the reorganization is intended to produce recurring payroll savings without layoffs while maintaining elections and recording services. Trasco said one resulting backfill will likely be an elections technician, and that HR will finalize details this week.
Reserve-policy dispute: commissioners briefly disagreed about whether the county was out of compliance with its general‑fund reserve policy, which specifies a 15–25% target. Trasco said the move was partly to “help address our non‑compliant situation with our reserve policy,” while another commissioner disputed that characterization and asked staff to pull current numbers. "I haven't seen the numbers for this month," one commissioner said, and commissioners asked staff to confirm the county’s reserve percentage before accepting the characterization of noncompliance.
What’s next: commissioners did not record a formal vote on the reorganization during the briefing; staff said the personnel changes and any resulting structural updates will be brought through HR and the action agenda as needed. The board asked staff to verify reserve calculations and to provide the commission with the relevant finance records for review.
