Commissioners chime in on proposal to disband

The members of the Washington County Communications Commission heard a proposal Monday from one of its members to dissolve the commission. Commissioner Adam Mangold said that the commission?s functions are mostly done by the county government now, and that all of them could be done by the county government. He suggested that responsibility for overseeing communications go to the sheriff?s office.

Since Monday, other commission members have voiced their opinion about Mangold?s suggestion. In an interview Friday, Commission Chairman Wes Rich said he understands his colleague?s position.

?I understand where he?s coming from,? said Rich. ?It seems like we?re a group of people who are spinning our wheels.?

Rich said that the commission has no power to tax. According to Washington County Attorney Larry Brock, it also has no power to borrow money.

?There is not much that communications does,? said Rich.

Rich said the commission approves the communication?s budget every year, but he said that budget could be the responsibility of the sheriff. He said the sheriff could present that budget for approval to the Washington County Board of Supervisors. Rich and Mangold are county supervisors.

The commission is also in charge of updating the employee handbook for communications employees. Rich said the communications handbook is very similar to that used by county employees, and that the county could be in charge of the communications handbook, too.

Rich said he is interested in discussing Mangold?s suggestion further, but wants to wait until the commission has finished its work relocating the dispatch center.

Commissioner Bob Shepherd, one of two Washington representatives, said the importance of the communication budget should not be understated.

?You can?t belittle the budget,? he said. ?That?s the biggest thing there.?

Shepherd said he wants to keep the commission as it is.

?I don?t believe in putting all the power in one individual if there is a chance to do it in a democratic way,? he said. ?It?s important enough that the E911 board requires it.?

The commission is composed of six members. Two of those are representatives of the board of supervisors, two of those represent the city of Washington and the other two represent the other towns in the county. The mayors of those other towns vote on the two people they want to represent them. All commission members must be elected officials.

Shepherd said he?s happy with the dispatchers and the way communications is handled now.

?I don?t think it?s a system that is broken,? said Shepherd. ?We?re constantly watching, and when we see problems, we take care of them.?

Shepherd said that another job the commissioners perform is to guide the communications employees through the policies.

?Are we micromanagers?? asked Shepherd. ?I hope the heck not. You hire people to do the work. You give them the policy and tell them to carry it out.?

Commissioner Ryan Miller, who represents the surrounding towns, said he does not yet have an opinion one way or the other about the future of the commission. Miller was absent from the meeting Monday. He said he would like more time to gather information, and then inform his council about what he finds.

Commission Paul Shelangoski, who also represents the surrounding towns, declined to comment on the issue. Commissioner Merlin Hagie, the other City of Washington representative, could not be reached for comment.