A series of procedural errors bogged down last week’s Port of Coupeville meeting, prompting commissioners to continue the three-hour meeting to later in the month.

Errors by the commissioners included routine housekeeping items, such as not previously holding an election of officers, to not being able to approve minutes because they didn’t correctly record past minutes and vouchers being approved.

There were also questions raised about the hiring process for the new events coordinator.

The errors were pointed out by citizen Marianne Burr and past Port executive director David Day, who both regularly attend Port meetings.

Burr pointed out that Commissioner Mike Diamanti was acting in the role of board president without officially being elected in that position.

She questioned the validity of some recent contracts, including Executive Director Forrest Rambo’s employment contract, because Diamanti signed them as the board chair without proper authorization.

During the meeting the board held the needed election, appointing Diamanti as president.

“I had overlooked the office designation because we had just fell into it,” Diamanti said this week. “That’s something we need to do every year.”

“Things slipped through the cracks. We’re trying to remember (these things) and prioritize during this transition.”

Rambo echoed Diamanti’s statement, saying with a new board and him being new to the position, there’s a learning curve.

“My background is in private ports, not public ports,” he said. “And my government experience is in cities. It’s still a learning experience and why I keep asking people for patience.”

During the meeting, Rambo introduced Kristi O’Donnell as his selection as the new events coordinator. Rambo said he felt she was right for the position and offered the job, sending an Employee Action Memo to the board.

Burr raised issue with the hiring of O’Donnell, saying the position wasn’t done in a public meeting and wasn’t properly advertised.

“I’m just trying to keep you on the straight and narrow,” she told the board. “These things aren’t difficult if the rules are followed.”

Rambo has been discussing hiring an events coordinator since December.

“I felt I was authorized per my employment contract,” he said.

“You should have advertised for that,” Day responded.

This week, Diamanti said he believes the hiring was done correctly and that the board set several precedents for the hiring of the position.

The position was approved in the 2016 budget back in 2015 and the port has also in the past allowed Harbor Master Long Bechard the authority to interview and hire for the seasonal dockhand position.

Burr and former Port executive director David Day also interrupted the meeting as commissioners were approving minutes from the February meeting, pointing out that the minutes didn’t reflect that the board had approved previous minutes and that they had signed vouchers without review.

According to the commissioners, Port accountant Terri Campbell had brought vouchers to the February meeting and required them to sign the vouchers at the beginning of the meeting because she had to leave early.

As a result, the board didn’t have time to review the vouchers prior to signing.

“As a commission, it is your duty to take care of our taxpayer dollars and review what you’re signing,” Burr chastised during the meeting. “You signed away $53,000 without knowing what you were signing.”

Commissioner John Misashek and Diamanti said they both reviewed the vouchers after signing last month.

Misashek said this month he spent several hours with Campbell going through the vouchers. Damanti said he reviewed the list through the county.

Campbell, who owns Whidbey Water Services LLC, actually resigned from her position the day before the February meeting effective the end of March, citing her inability to work with Rambo. She did not attend last week’s Port meeting and did not provide vouchers for signing.

This week, Rambo said that he and Campbell had a misunderstanding early in the year, which he apologized for, but didn’t make any impact.

Kathy Jones Accounting will be taking over Port finances on April 1.

Diamanti said with a new accountant coming on, the board will work with her to establish better processes.

February vouchers should be reviewed and approved during the meeting continuation, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, March 31 at the Coupeville Masonic Lodge.