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A. The following executive departments' elective directors are established:

1. Assessor-Treasurer.

2. Auditor.

3. Sheriff.

NOTE: The following departmental descriptions are intended to designate the powers and responsibilities of those departments and are not intended to limit the Pierce County Executive or department directors with regard to the departments' internal organizational structure.

B. Assessor-Treasurer. This department shall be headed by the elected Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer. The department includes the following functions and/or divisions:

1. Operations includes departmental payroll and inventory; appraisal of personal and real property and assessment of new construction; defense of assessment values at the County Board of Equalization and the State Board of Tax Appeals; preferential assessment programs for current use/open space properties, timberlands, exemptions granted by the State Department of Revenue, public entities exemptions, and three-year assessment deferrals for improvements to single-family dwellings; and maintains adjustments for destroyed properties.

2. Administrative includes listing of property, maintaining ownership lists, and detailed maps reflecting all property developments, parcel numbers, and boundaries of taxing districts; processing of annexations, assigning tax levy codes, calculation of levy rates, mailing of tax and special assessment statements, and processing tax adjustments such as strike-offs, supplements and refunds of tax; management of foreclosure on real property for both delinquent tax and ULID assessments; operation of tax exemption programs for senior and disabled persons for taxes and special assessments; administering federal, state and County-funded extra hire programs to augment present staff; and providing public information and statistics on assessment and tax information.

C. Auditor. This department shall be headed by the elected Pierce County Auditor. The department is responsible for the following functions and/or divisions:

1. Recording which processes the recording of deeds and other written documents which are required by law to be filed in the County Auditor's Office.

2. Election which supervises all primary, general and special elections, registers voters, and appoints precinct election officers.

3. Vehicle and Boat Licensing which processes vehicle and boat licensing applications and transfer of titles.

4. Business Licensing which processes business and occupation license applications and monitors business and occupation compliance with the conditions of licensing as set by the County Code.

5. Excise Tax which collects excise taxes as directed by statute for distribution to the agencies entitled to them.

6. Marriage Licensing which processes all marriage license applications, issues marriage licenses and records marriage licenses.

7. Animal services which includes pet licensing, kennel licensing, pet business licensing, and licensing of dangerous and potentially dangerous animals.

8. Acceptance of Service of Process pursuant to RCW 4.28.080. In addition to the County Auditor and Deputy Auditor, the Fiscal Services Manager and Accounting Assistant 4 positions in the County Auditor’s Office are authorized agents to accept service of process.

D. Sheriff. This department shall be headed by the elected Sheriff. The department is responsible for the following functions and/or bureaus:

1. The Operations Bureau which is responsible for the majority of what is defined as the traditional law enforcement functions of the Sheriff's Department. The activities include uniformed patrol response to calls for service, traffic accident investigation and traffic enforcement, apprehension of criminals, vice and narcotic enforcement, drug prevention education, crime prevention education, criminal investigations, and service of warrants. In addition, operations has a number of support functions which assist the Sheriff's Department in accomplishing its community goals: special weapons and tactics, marine services, dive, search and rescue, hazardous device response, reserve officers, bike patrol, off-road-vehicle patrol, and air operations.

2. The Administrative Services Bureau which provides departmental service and support including the training and the judicial services which satisfy the civil law requirements of the Sheriff. This bureau also includes property and evidence management as well as personnel functions for the department. The Services Bureau manages the overall budget for the department including the generation of the formal budget presentation each year. Claims and lawsuits involving the Sheriff's Department are coordinated through this bureau as well.

3. The Corrections Bureau which is responsible for the security, care, and custody of pretrial and committed offenders in accordance with state facility and operations standards. This bureau has a custody section and a program services section which provides social services, food services, and medical services to the prisoners.

4. Animal control.

(Ord. 2023-35 § 1, 2023; Ord. 2019-66s § 2 (part), 2019; Ord. 2018-53 § 1, 2018; Ord. 2005-97s § 1, 2005; Ord. 85-77S § 1 (part), 1985)