Eric Anderson has been named county coroner.

SOUTH BEND — The Pacific County Board of County Commissioners held a last-minute special meeting on Dec. 30, 2024, to discuss several important issues, one of which was the naming of a new undersheriff at the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office.

The Pacific County General Administration realized midday on Dec. 29, 2024, that a number of important issues had to be sorted out before Jan. 1. Commissioners Lisa Olsen, Jerry Doyle, and David Tobin were present for the meeting.

New undersheriff

The separation of the Pacific County Jail, which is now known as Pacific County Jail Services, cost the sheriff’s office one of four administrative positions. Under state law RCW 41.14.070, Sheriff Daniel Garcia was allowed to have four administrators if his agency maintained a staff of 21-50.

The separation cost the position held by then-Cmdr. Michael Parker, who was tasked with heading the jail, drug task force, search and rescue, and reserves. He came to the agency after being an officer at the Long Beach Police Department and a member of the Pacific County Joint Drug Task Force.

As expected, following the separation of the Pacific County Jail from the sheriff’s office, then-Undersheriff Mike Ray stepped down. Ray indicated in a previous workshop that if the jail split occurred, he was prepared to step down and let Parker take his spot.

Parker’s new position will have his salary graded at management level Grade 18 Step 9, which is $8,756, which equates to $105,072.

“It is a necessity for us to be able to long-term maintain 19 law enforcement officers able to patrol the streets and meet court security and do everything we are doing,” Garcia said.

Ray’s service to Pacific County is not over. The sheriff’s office has been searching for quite some time to fill a position covering Surfside. The position drew little interest, and Ray lives near the area and decided to take it after he completes the civil services process.

The civil service process for Ray is expected to be smooth since he is the only applicant for the position.

Coroner’s office

New Washington state legislation that went into effect on Jan. 1 now requires all counties in the state to have an independent coroner’s officer. Previously, the county prosecutor’s office took on this responsibility in counties under 40,000 residents.

During a commission meeting on Dec. 26, 2024, the BOCC selected Eric Anderson as coroner and Brandy Hubert as deputy coroner. Anderson owns funeral home in Raymond, Long Beach and Astoria, and Hubert has been a long-time deputy coroner in the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office.

Classified as a three-quarters time employee, Anderson will receive a monthly salary of $10,572, which equates to $126,864 annually, and Hubert will receive a monthly salary of $7,370, which equates to $88,440 annually.

After selecting Anderson and Hubert, the county still had to find a suitable location to hold the new agency. The Dec. 30, 2024, meeting solved this issue after the county reached an agreement with the Port of Willapa Harbor.

“The purpose of this lease is to provide a physical location for the new Department of the Coroner, which the board approved after the last regular meeting on Dec. 26,” County Chief Administrative Officer Paul Plakinger said.

With the port’s help, the county found a building near the port’s main office with adequate office space and a walk-in refrigeration unit. The lease agreement will cost the county $3,406 per month, with an agreement that lasts through at least March 31.

“This will give us an opportunity to see if the space is adequate,” Olsen said. “And I think I want to say that we really appreciate the Port working with us — [port manager] Jim Sayce and his staff there who were working with us on trying to accomplish this because it’s got what we need for the coroner.”

According to County Risk Manager Marie Guernsey, the lease needed some details amended, and pending the amendments, the lease agreement would be a done deal.

The only other notable developments of the meeting were credit cards issued to the coroner’s office for $2,500 and to the jail for $5,000.