County Commission to try new meeting schedule

Former deputy coroner also was sworn in as county coroner.

At its meeting Monday, Aug. 6, the Grays Harbor County Commission decided to experiment.

Beginning in September, the Commission will meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month for its general meetings at the regular times (9 a.m. and 2 p.m.). The Commission with hold workshops on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Traditionally, the commission has held its regular meeting weekly on Mondays.

“It will definitely cut down on staff time for creating the agendas and minutes for meetings that are pretty short,” Clerk of the Board Jenna Amsbury said. “It will probably include some special meetings when items come up.”

But the commissioners expect the change to save time for county workers in the long run.

“There have been several meetings recently that have been between five and 12 minutes long,” Commissioner Vickie Raines said.

“We also have conflicts with holidays that fall on Mondays. So moving to Tuesdays will help with that. This is temporary. We may go back to weekly.”

New coroner

Grays Harbor County officially has a new coroner as of Aug. 6.

Bob Kegel was sworn in by County Commissioner Randy Ross.

Kegel was a deputy coroner for Lane Youmans, who retired in June. Kegel also is a 37-year veteran of the Aberdeen Police Department.

The coroner position is up for election this year. Kegel, a Democrat, was the only candidate to file for the position.

Kegel says he looks forward to continuing to serve his community in an investigative manner.