PORT ANGELES — County commissioners Tuesday set a public hearing next month to consider a proposal that would clean up the method for adding members to the Clallam County Permit Advisory Board.
The ordinance that established the Permit Advisory Board specifies that 14 members be selected from specific trades and that a public hearing be held to change the membership.
The proposal would allow changes to be made by resolution without a public hearing.
A public hearing on the proposal is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, in the commissioners’ boarroom on the main level of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
Commissioners Mike Chapman and Mike Doherty were present for Tuesday’s meeting.
Working from Olympia
Commissioner Steve Tharinger participated by speaker phone. Tharinger, a freshman state representative, is working from Olympia during the legislative session.
Clallam County Department of Community Development Director Sheila Roark Miller proposed the change in the Permit Advisory Board.
She wanted to add a land surveyor to the permit board.
“I went to add one more member onto our current list of 14 members and in doing so found out that having the membership kept in the ordinance makes for pretty sloppy records when we go to change one of them,” Miller told commissioners Monday.
“So this is to actually take the list of membership names out of ordinance and have that done by resolution. So if there needs to be an added change to it, we’ll do it by resolution and not through a public hearing process.”
Clallam County’s Permit Advisory Board makes recommendations to the Department of Community Development director and Board of County Commissioners on building code and permit requirements.
Vice chair concerned
Annie O’Rourke, vice chairwoman of the Permit Advisory Board, told commissioners she was concerned that Miller’s proposal would compromise the structure of the board and that the board hadn’t been notified.
The public hearing was moved from April 12 to April 26 to allow the permit board to discuss the proposal at its next meeting.
“Nothing’s going to be lost,” Chapman said.
“You’re just changing the process by which the membership can be modified.”
Meanwhile, the commissioners inked a one-year, $200,000 contract with Correctional Health Care Management to provide medical services for Clallam County jail inmates.
Greenwood Village, Colo.-based CHCM will continue to staff the jail with two nurses and provide on-call services at all hours.
Commissioners opened four bids for the Nichols Bridge replacement project. The West End bridge off Hoko-Ozette Road washed out in a 2009 storm.
Wilson Construction of Port Angeles submitted a low bid of $1.27 million. Other bids — ranging from $1.28 million to $1.57 million — came from construction companies in Ellensburg, Bellingham and Aberdeen.
The cost of the bridge replacement will be covered with Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, county insurance, state Emergency Management and the county road fund.
The board also signed a proclamation recognizing April as sexual assault awareness month.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.