The County Engineer, under the direction of the Legislative Authority, supervises the establishment, laying out, construction, alteration, improvement, repair, and maintenance of all county roads. He or she is required by law to be a licensed professional civil engineer. There is a vast variety of laws to be reckoned with by the Engineer in carrying out his or her obligations, some of which may be unattractive to the County Board of Commissioners. The Engineer must execute the Board's instructions in a most diplomatic fashion within legal requirements. The best resource in doing so is the Washington State Association of County Engineers adopted Code of Ethics. This code is customarily on display in the office of each Engineer and sets forth the relationship that must exist between the Engineer, the Board, and the Public. He or she must keep in mind that they and their staff are first and foremost public employees performing for the convenience and common good of the public. It is imperative that all possible and proper measures be taken to ensure the taxpayer that they are receiving full value for every dollar spent.
Integrity, confidence, interest in the work, and freedom from political interference must prevail at all levels of the departments administered by the Engineer in order for the departments' services to be satisfactory and in the public's best interest.
Contact Engineering@CRAB for more information.