Clallam County commissioners will conduct a series of public hearings on Charter Review Commission recommendations in April.
The three commissioners voted last week to schedule six public hearings on the recommended addition of a county forester, housing initiatives, ranked-choice voting and 5G requirements.
Commissioners will discuss a fifth recommendation to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Community Development in a work session with DCD officials at 9 a.m. April 12.
The four items subject to public hearings were paired up for scheduling purposes. Three public hearings will be held on each pair of recommendations to provide more opportunity for public comment.
Here are the Charter Review Commission recommendations, with times and dates of the hearings:
• Ensure franchises comply with the National Environmental Protection Act. This recommendation was made in response to citizen concerns about the effects of 5G wireless technology.
Public hearings on the recommendation will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 6; 1 p.m. Monday, April 12, and 5 p.m. Monday, April 12.
• Ask the state Legislature to allow counties to adopt ranked-choice voting for local elections if they so choose. The ranked-choice voting system could replace the top-two primary in local elections.
Public hearings on the recommendation will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 6; 1 p.m. Monday, April 12, and 5 p.m. Monday, April 12.
• Increase monitoring of the state Department of Natural Resources’ management of county trust lands by hiring a forester. The county forester would work with DNR to ensure revenue for trust beneficiaries.
Public hearings on the recommendation will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 13; 1 p.m. Monday, April 19, and 5 p.m. Monday, April 26.
• Meet all housing needs by creating more permanent housing in Clallam County. This recommendation was made in response to the county’s housing crisis.
Public hearings on the recommendation will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 13; 1 p.m. Monday, April 19, and 5 p.m. Monday, April 26.
Read the full Charter Review documents online at clallam.net/bocc/homerulecharter.html.
“My hope is that once we have the opportunity to hear this testimony, it can help shape our next steps,” commissioner Mark Ozias said before the March 23 vote to schedule the hearings.
Commissioner meetings are held in Room 160 at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
They also are live-streamed and archived at clallam.net/features/meetings.html.
