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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Nov 24 2020Whatcom County Council Planning and Development Committee COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360)778-5010 Committee Minutes - Final VIRTUAL MEETING - MAY BEGIN EARLY; ENDS NO LATER THAN 2:30 P.M. Tuesday, November 24, 2020 1:45 PM Virtual Meeting COUNCILMEMBERS Rud Browne Tyler Byrd Ben Elenbaas CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C. Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final November 24, 2020 Committee Call To Order Roll Call Committee Chair Ben Elenbaas called the meeting to order at 1:47 p.m. in a virtual meeting. Present: 3 - Rud Browne, Tyler Byrd and Ben Elenbaas Absent: None Also Present: Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner Committee Discussion AB2020-508 Discussion of Planning Commission recommendations to: (1) Create a citizen advisory body to address the issue of public participation in local government affairs, and (2) Consider implementing an impact fee ordinance 1- CREATE A CITIZEN ADVISORY BODY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AFFFAIRS Natalie McClendon, Planning Commissioner, briefed the Councilmembers about the Planning Commission's website and notifications systems and setting up a committee that would do an evaluation and provide recommendations for how to improve them and to reach people effectively. She and Councilmembers discussed whether they are envisioning a committee that is temporary or permanent, whether its members would be Council -appointed, whether the Council would need to ask for more County staff resources to implement recommendations, whether they are legally required to put notices in the Bellingham Herald and how they could track meeting participation from that notification source, whether there is potential to expand awareness of Whatcom County job openings outside the county, what direction the Council should be giving an advisory body on the issue, whether they could utilize an existing board instead of creating a new one, whether accessibility should also be evaluated, how processes and equipment would need to change to add Zoom to in -person meetings when in -person meetings resume, how the Council should proceed from here, and doing an analysis of the rules about housing to work out what can and cannot be done under the law. 2- CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING AN IMPACT FEE ORDINANCE The following people briefed the Councilmembers and discussed with them Whatcom County Page I Council Planning and Development Committee Minutes - Final November 24, 2020 Committee the issue of the impact fees: • Jim Hanson, Planning Commissioner • Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department • Natalie McClendon, Planning Commissioner • Dominic Moceri, Planning Commissioner • Kelvin Barton, Planning Commissioner They discussed whether the County is eligible to use impact fees now that they are in compliance with the Growth Management Act (GMA), whether the County has the grounds for implementing impact fees under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), how it backs out a cost for another tax payer by charging an impact fee, and reasons for not charging or charging impact fees. This agenda item was DISCUSSED. Items Added by Revision Other Business Adiournment There were no agenda items added by revision. There was no other business. The meeting adjourned at 2:32 p.m. ATTES%,�:e�ts�bt���� � U U / ��Qa, WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WA 5 �— $en Elenbaas-via email 12/4/2020 -- �DanBroh=avisc�tulcil.lerk Ben Elenbaas, Committee Chair � C S vyp Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription Whateom County Page 2