A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEWPORT MINER & GEM STATE MINER
ho W ’ In Ch arge
2013 Guide to Government
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Pend Oreille and West Bonner Counties Editor’s Note: The following information will also be posted on The Miner’s website, www.pendoreillerivervalley.com. If changes are warranted throughout the year, contact The Miner at 509-447-2433. The Miner staff contacted each of these agencies through letter and/or telephone to update the information. New this year is the salary and stipends for various boards, commissions, councils and administrators. These figures are strictly salary and do not include benefits, reimbursements, etc., so some variation between districts is expected.
PEND OREILLE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 509-447-4119 District 1: Mike Manus, chairman (2013) District 2: Karen Skoog, vice chairwoman (2016) District 3: Steve Kiss, Member (2016) Four-year terms Annual salary: Manus $53,148, Skoog and Kiss $50,490
Manus
Skoog
Kiss
Duties: Serve as chief legislative and executive body in county; including, but not limited to, approve taxes; adopt a balanced budget, operate budgets under control of appointed department heads; oversee public roads and works; counseling; planning of unincorporated areas; and other services which are not clearly the responsibility of another elected official. Appoint citizens to commissions and boards; represent the county locally, regionally and statewide on various boards such as public health and economic development. Mail: P.O. Box 5025, Newport, WA 99156 Board meets every Monday and Tuesday at 9 a.m. in commissioners’ office, main floor of the courthouse. Clerk of the board: Liz Braun Office hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
HUMAN RESOURCES 509-447-6499 Duties: Receive and process all county employment applications; maintain personnel records; etc. Mail: P.O. Box 5025, Newport WA 99156 Human Resource Coordinator: Shelly Stafford
AUDITOR 509-447-6474 Fax: 509-447-2475 Marianne Nichols (2014)
Four-year term Annual salary: $53,148 Duties: Finance – Maintain county’s central computerized accounting system, issuance of disbursements and responsible for financial accounting and reporting for expenditures, Nichols grants, budgets, and monthly and annual reports. Elections – Administer federal, state, county, municipal and special purpose elections. Licensing – Issuance of licenses for vehicles and vessels, titles, registrations, license plates and renewal tabs. Recording – Maintain historic records in perpetuity, including real property and marriage licenses. Mail: P.O. Box 5015, Newport, WA 99156
ASSESSOR 509-447-4312 Fax: 509-447-6450 James McCroskey (2014) Four-year term. Annual salary: $53,148 Duties: Determines the market value of all private real McCroskey and personal property within the county; constructs a property tax roll and establishes levy rates based on the taxing districts budgets according to state law; keeps records of ownership/tax payers and legal descriptions of all private property; keeps maps of ownership including approximate property boundaries; administers senior/disabled citizen property tax exemption; and administers current use assessment programs. Mail: P.O. Box 5010, Newport, WA 99156
TREASURER 509-447-3612 Fax: 509-447-0318 Terri Miller (2014) Four-year term. Annual salary: $53,148 The treasurer serves multiple state and local governmental entities and is accountable Miller directly to the citizens. Primary responsibilities include: Collecting real and personal property taxes (including performing foreclosures on real property and distraints of personal property), special assessments, excise tax, and miscellaneous receipts from other county districts and departments and collection of delinquent accounts; accounting for all funds and deposits of revenues for the state, county, cities and junior taxing districts (schools, port, cemeteries, fire, hospital, and water/sewer) mailing financial statements to all monthly; determining adequate liquidity in funds for issuance of warrants for payment to vendors for various entities; administering short- and long-term debt financing; managing the cash flow of the county and investing funds not needed for immediate expenditures for the county and junior taxing districts; coordinating banking services. Mail: P.O. Box 5080, Newport, WA 99156
PUBLIC WORKS DEPT. 509-447-4513 Fax: 509-447-5890 Located in the lower level of the County Courthouse. Mail: P.O. Box 5065, Newport WA 99156 • Administration Sam Castro, director of Castro public works Don Ramsey, county engineer • County Road Division 509-447-4513 Responsible for all county road work and projects performed by three county road Ramsey maintenance districts and construction work; administers county road and equipment funds; designs road projects and issues calls for bids. Also responsible for road survey design and contract administration of county road construction projects. Mail: P.O. Box 5040, Newport, WA 99156 • Solid Waste Division 509-447-4513 Responsible for solid waste planning and disposal in the north county, Usk and south county transfer stations. Responsible for recycling programs, household hazardous waste and moderate risk waste planning and disposal. Mail: P.O. Box 5041, Newport WA 99156 • Buildings and Grounds, 509-447-4513 Responsible for physical plant and grounds keeping operations at six county buildings. Mail: P.O. Box 5068, Newport, WA 99156
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPT. 509-447-4821 Mike Lithgow, director Responsible for county land use, growth management planning and the county park system. Also responsible for the review and approval of various development and Lithgow construction permits, such as building permits, shoreline development permits, subdivision and mobile home park and recreational vehicle park approvals. Mail: P.O. Box 5066, Newport, WA 99156 • Planning Commission District 1: John Stuart, Steve Wilson, Doug Smith; District 2: Don Comins, Steve Bennet, Guy Thomas; District 3: Rob Payne, Susan Hobbs and Judy Ashton. Meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the Cusick Community Center for business, and on the fourth Tuesday of each month for workshops, starting at 6 p.m. • Park board members: Sam Nicholas, John Stark, Dave Gruver, Ken Timmreck, vacant The park board meets the third Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m. in the Cusick Community Center.
SHERIFF For emergencies, call 911 Dispatch, non-emergencies
509-447-3151 or 800-669-3407 Civil Deputy 509-447-1907 Sheriff’s Administration 509-447-1909 Corrections (Jail) 509-447-1918 Sheriff Alan Botzheim Botzheim 509-447-1901 Four-year term Annual salary: $79,104 Duties: The sheriff is the chief executive officer and conservator of the peace of the county. Sheriff’s office mail: P.O. Box 5075, Newport, WA 99156 Jail mail: P.O. Box 5079, Newport, WA 99156 Office: 331 South Garden Ave., Newport, WA E-mail: sheriff@pendoreille.org
Emergency Management 509-447-3731 For immediate attention, call sheriff’s office at 509-447-3151. Located at 101 S. Garden Ave., Newport Deputy director: Jo Ann Boggs
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION 509-447-2712 Fax: 509-447-0595 Reviews appeals to assessor’s property assessments. Applications available at Board of Equalization Office, Courthouse, 625 West Fourth, Newport WA 99156, and online at county website, www.pendoreilleco.org under County Services Mail: P.O. Box 5018, Newport WA 99156 Board: Don Wilson, Margie Fedderly, Craig Jenkins, alternate - vacant Clerk: Elizabeth Braun
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION 509-447-2712 P.O. Box 5060, Newport, WA 99156 Jim Brewster, Charles Watkins and Michael Albright Chief examiner: Elizabeth Braun
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY /CORONER 509-447-4414 Fax: 509-447-0235 Thomas A. Metzger (2014) Four-year term Annual salary: $117,000 Duties: Serve as legal adviser to county officials, rep- Metzger resents the county in civil cases, prosecute criminal matters, and act as ex-officio coroner. Mail: P.O. Box 5070, Newport, WA 99156 Coroner duties: Investigate questionable cases of death to assure that the medical certification and cause of death is properly completed.