HomeMy WebLinkAbout101121cabs02 JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WORKSHOP AGENDA
TO: Board of County Commissioners
Mark McCauley, Interim County Administrator
FROM: Brent Alfred Butler, Director, Community Development
David Wayne Johnson,Interim Planning Manager, Community Development
DATE: October 11, 2021
SUBJECT: 2021 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
County Commissioners("BoCC")approved a motion'to adopt the Planning
May 10,2021,the Board of Cou y ppp
Commission's recommendations for the 2021 Annual Amendment Cycle and establish the 2021 Final
Docket, contingent upon additional staff funding to process the docket.' The docket includes one site
specific amendment for a mineral resource overlay, MLA21-00019, and one suggested amendment,
MLA21-00018,proposing a text amendment to the Unified Development Code("UDC")to expressly allow
Green Burials.
Subsequent to the BoCC's May 10, 2021 action, the Department of Community Development recognized
that it does not have sufficient capacity to process the docket within this current year and that DCD will
need to retain consultants to review the hydro-geological reports associated with MLA21-00019.
ANALYSIS
Under Chapter 18.45.060 (a) JCC, DCD must consider 'the availably of sufficient staff to substantively
review the suggested amendments and manage the public review process with available staff' Additionally,
given the highly complex nature of the site-specific application seeking to expand mining operations, DCD
recognizes the need to review and refine the fee structure. This is critically important as DCD desires to
avoid a repeat of the current situation that led one applicant to owe approximately $200,000 to the County
for staff and consultant hours which remain billed but unpaid. Other governments that have experienced
this issue have collected retainers on large projects to avoid this very type of situation. Pursuant to JCC
18.45.060 (b) which states the County should consider `anticipated DCD costs and budget for processing
the suggested amendments', DCD would like to amend the fee structure by resolution so that retainers could
be accepted for large projects, especially those that require outside consultants, while continuing to work
with applicants to ready their project for State Environmental Policy Act ("SEPA") review in accordance
with an extended 2021 Annual Amendment Cycle timeline.
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FISCAL IMPACT/COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS:
The two proposed comprehensive plan amendments require vastly different resources with MLA21-00019
requiring outside consultants paid for by the applicant and additional time to process. Though MLA-00018
will also require additional time beyond the current year-end deadline, it can be bifurcated from processing
with MLA21-00019, and processed by DCD staff on a separate track with additional staff time paid by the
applicant.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Community Development recommends the BOCC extend the timeline for the 2021
Annual Amendment Cycle
REVIEWED BY:
/0A/Z,
Mark McCaule Interim County Administ tifD Date
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