Public participation plan approved by Whatcom County

Whatcom County Council has approved a public participation plan that lets residents know how they can get involved in discussions about important public projects.

Whatcom County Council approved its 2019 public participation plan on May 7. The plan, prepared annually, is required by state law. It is intended to identify “procedures providing for early and continuous public participation in the development and amendment of comprehensive land use plans and development regulations implementing such plans,” according to the state’s Growth Management Act.

The public participation plan lets residents know how they can stay informed about, and provide comments on, various projects taking place throughout the county. The plan lists different projects and categorizes them as either level 1, level 2 or level 3 projects.

According to the plan, residents can learn about a level 1 project through a staff report and notice in a newspaper. The project proposal will also be posted on the county’s website, and information about it will be sent to the county’s email list. There will also be two public hearings about a level 1 project, one before the planning commission and another before the county council, prior to final council action.

Level 2 projects require all of the above, plus the development of project alternatives and review by an advisory committee, agency, county department or city. Projects categorized as level 2 are those that tend to attract more public interest and sensitivity. These are projects that have seen public opposition or support in the past, justifying a higher level of review.

Finally, level 3 projects allow for even greater public participation, by including a town hall meeting in the process. A town hall meeting is less formal than a public hearing, and generally provides an opportunity for citizens to ask questions about a project and talk through the proposal.

According to Matt Aamot, a senior planner with Whatcom County, the goal is “to try and get people involved, and to let the public know what type of participation activities there will be for a given project.”

Aamot said there has always been public participation in county decision-making, but that formal plans like the one passed on May 7 have guided the process for about 10 years. The public participation plans “guide the county in how we approach a project, but they also let the public know the process for getting involved,” he said.

Whereas most projects fall under level 1, the public participation plan identifies three projects as requiring the more rigorous level 2 process. These are wind energy system amendments; the sustainable salmon harvest goal; and agricultural strategic plan implementation.

Meanwhile, five projects have been categorized as level 3, requiring the highest degree of public input. These are the surface mining pipeline buffer; surface mining of dry meander zones; Cherry Point amendments; mineral resource lands county-wide designation process; and the shoreline management program update.

The public participation plan determines how citizens can participate in discussions about Whatcom County’s comprehensive plan and its development regulations. The comprehensive plan is the overall vision for the county, whereas the county’s development regulations are the detailed rules that carry out that vision.

Whatcom County has a comprehensive plan that was adopted in May 1997. The comprehensive plan defines how land may be used throughout the county. It is meant to establish a framework of goals and policies to guide growth, land use, capital facilities, transportation and environmental protection. The plan identifies urban growth area boundaries, rural areas, agricultural lands, forestry lands and mineral resource lands.