The Grays Harbor County commissioners have re-established Drainage District 2. The district serves are area of 40 parcels near the Brady Fire Station.

In 2006, the county commissioners took control of the drainage district, acting as the district commissioners when necessary. However the commissioners recently decided the community would have better control over their drainage district if it had an independent board.

“It’s going to be closer to the people, moving it from the county back to the district,” Commissioner Wes Cormier said. “The smaller the government and the closer it is to the people, the better represented you are in that district. Philosophically, it’s a better move.”

Commissioner Randy Ross agreed saying, “We’re trying to give control back to the residents in the district to manage the district on their behalf, because you’ll know what’s best for the district.”

District resident Gerald Shieles asked the commissioners for details about their plans.

Cormier noted that the commissioners were considering two options — re-establish the drainage district with its own governing board, or dissolve the district completely. Had the district dissolved, taxes for the district no longer would be collected on its residents and it would stay dissolved without any improvements until residents asked for the district to be re-established.

Resident Donna Hagen noted that several residents had bought smaller parcels in the area. Those residents, she said, did not fully understand how their taxes were impacted by the district and they don’t understand how their drainage impacts neighboring farmland.

“We need a stabilized effort, that if you are indeed going to put it back to the people that you get the people involved, because there aren’t that many farmers left in there,” Hagen said. “I would encourage you not to just dump this back into a political situation that failed before, but see if we can’t get some of these folks on board to understand that they actually do need to participate as a member in this community.”

Cormier and Ross voted to re-establish the board. Commissioner Vickie Raines was absent.

Four applicants had applied to serve as drainage district commissioners: Stephen Willis, Lonny Fillo, Terry Willis and Gordy Bagnell.

Cormier and Ross voted to appoint Fillo and Stephen Willis to the board. Those two commissioners then will appoint the third commissioner.