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Commissioners approve four open-space designations; public hearing scheduled for boating safety supplemental as SAR seeks drone purchases
Summary
The board approved four open-space designations after a planning-examiner recommendation and discussion with the Methow Conservancy; commissioners also heard a presentation on a boating-safety budget supplemental (public hearing advertised) and a request to reallocate Title III funds to buy search-and-rescue drones and communications gear.
The Board of County Commissioners approved four open‑space designations recommended by the hearing examiner after a public hearing in which the Methow Conservancy described the parcels’ public benefits for wildlife and trail connectivity. The board voted to adopt the resolutions after staff confirmed conformity with the county’s scoring system; commissioners also agreed to review whether the county’s point schedule should be revised to recognize contiguous trail systems and nonprofit‑owned conserved land more clearly in future evaluations.
Planning staff told the board they will schedule work sessions to review the floodplain and open-space chapters of county code and to discuss possible edits that would accommodate parcels used for habitat protection with limited or shared external trailhead parking. The Conservancy urged county staff and commissioners to consider allowing points where parking is provided adjacent to but not on the nominated parcel and to consider points for nonprofit-owned conserved land even where a conservation easement has not been placed on the organization’s own parcel.
Votes at a glance: commissioners approved the four open-space resolutions and later adopted the cannabis moratorium ordinance. The board also received a presentation from the sheriff’s office about a boating-safety fund supplemental. Sheriff’s staff said they had not budgeted for increased vessel activity earlier and requested a supplemental to add training, vessel maintenance and overtime for deputies certified as marine operators. The auditor confirmed the supplemental has been advertised and will return to the board at a future meeting for final action.
Separately, county search-and-rescue personnel requested reallocation of Title 3 funds previously earmarked for dive-team gear to purchase two drones with thermal imaging and associated training, plus a Starlink terminal and vehicle communications gear. Staff said they would submit a line-item change to the Title 3 MOU and the auditor to effect the change; the board did not object to the request and asked staff to route the paperwork to the auditor for final processing.
Ending: The board approved the open-space resolutions and directed staff to return with proposed code edits or policy language for future open-space scoring. The boating-safety supplemental will proceed through the advertised public‑hearing process; the search-and-rescue Title 3 change will be processed administratively and returned to the board as required.
