Board of Clatsop County Commissioners Highlights

Board Meeting Highlights, July 11, 2012:

County Code adopted

The board adopted a newly revised County Code of Regulations. The code contains all county ordinances except for land-use ordinances.

County Counsel Heather Reynolds explained that the year-long review process, conducted with the help of a private consultant, fixed outdated and obsolete ordinances and made code enforcement clearer. The revision also collects the ordinances in a single location for easy access by county staff and the public.

Along with the code adoption the board also approved an ordinance-adoption process that allows for public hearings extended over two consecutive meetings.

Gillnet committee formed

The board voted to establish a committee to lead a public educational effort related to a November 2012 ballot measure that would ban the use of gillnets in the Columbia River salmon fishery. The board voted to appoint Commissioners Scott Lee and Dirk Rohne to the committee and authorize Chairman Peter Huhtala to appoint the remaining members, who will include, a fisherman, fish processor and up to four at-large members and would lead an effort to provide impartial information to voters about the county’s Select Area Fishery Enhancement (SAFE) salmon net-pen program and the local commercial salmon industry.

In May the county Budget Committee voted to earmark $18,000 from the county’s Special Projects fund to pay for educational outreach on the SAFE program.

Land-use appeal approved

The board approved findings of fact upholding a “vested rights” claim from landowner Dale Marshal granting him development rights on five residential lots in the Knappa area under the Measure 49 land-use initiative. The board originally approved the claim on appeal in 2010, overturning a decision from the county Community Development director, but final findings of fact were never adopted. The lack of findings was discovered earlier this year when Marshal inquired about the status of the property to the Community Development Department.

Hearings officer restored

The board approved a recommendation from the Clatsop County Planning Commission that the county assign Type IIa land-use applications to a hearings officer. Type IIa applications typically involve requests for conditional use permits or variances, but do not involve changes to land-use regulations or zoning. A hearings officer heard Type IIa applications for the county until 2007, when the board assigned those applications to the planning commission.

Other Business

In other business the board:

-Approved a four-year collective bargaining contract with the union representing deputy district attorneys. The agreement sets salary ranges for the three position classifications, annual cost-of-living adjustments, and minimum requirements for promotion to the top Deputy III position. There are currently five deputy district attorneys.

-Appointed the following people to the Clatsop Forestry and Wood Products Economic Development Committee: Dennis Creel of Hampton Affiliates; Eric Oien of Teevin Bros. Land and Timber; Jim Reeb of OSU Extension Service; John Larson of Georgia-Pacific Wauna mill; Kevin Leahy of Clatsop Economic Development Resources; Mark Gustafson of Gustafson Logging Co.; and Michael Bunch of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association.