COMMISSION BRIEFS

Public defense attorneys get raise

Mason County commissioners approved a pay raise for public defense attorneys at their Jan. 30 meeting.

Attorneys providing indigent defense for misdemeanors, heard in district court, will get a pay raise from $75 an hour to $100 an hour. Attorneys providing indigent defense for felonies, heard in superior court, will see their pay increase from $100 an hour to $125 an hour.

Hourly indigent defense investigators will now make $75 an hour.

Chief Public Defender Peter Jones thanked the commissioners at a briefing meeting Jan. 22 for their help with union contract incentives that have helped hiring.

“The board’s generosity in the union contract as well as the hiring bonus has clearly made a difference in the speed of applications,” Jones said.

Commissioners fill transit positions

Commissioners appointed Sheriff Ryan Spurling and Richard Lee to the Mason Transit Authority Board at the Jan. 30 meeting.

Spurling and Lee will fill unexpired terms ending Feb. 1, 2026.

Shelton development can increase density

The Shelton Springs development, a proposed mix of multifamily residential units and commercial space at 1511 E. Shelton Springs Road, can increase residential density after commissioners approve rezoning at the Jan. 30 meeting.

The Station @ Shelton Springs will now have 25 units per acre, up from 14 units per acre, according to the information packet.

The development will have six buildings consisting of 88 apartment/townhomes and a 3,000-square-foot commercial building. Four three-story buildings up to 40 feet will house 84 apartment units ranging from studios to three bedrooms. The remaining residential buildings will have four three-story townhomes, according to the Mason County Hearings Examiner. The examiner approved the rezoning Jan. 2, and it needed commissioners’ final approval.

YMCA gets money to fight obesity

The Shelton Family YMCA will receive $20,000 to help families with fitness and nutrition in hopes of lowering obesity.

Commissioners approved the money for the YMCA’s “Actively Changing Together” proposal, administered with Mason County and Mason Health.

ACT “helps families actively change together by practicing healthier habits as a team,” according to the information packet.

The program will include 12 one-hour sessions where people 8 to 14 and their parents or guardians can participate in physical activities and learn about nutrition through activities such as cooking classes, the packet states.

The organization plans to start the program in the fall and classes and activities will be at the Shelton Family YMCA.