County planning staff described the standard workflow applicants follow: initial planning inquiries or pre‑application meetings; a technical completeness review; a 21‑day referral period for agencies after technical completeness; staff report preparation with referral and public comments; and, where applicable, public hearings before the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners.

Heather said pre‑application conferences are free but can require significant staff time; pre‑app summaries are valid for six months and applicants may return for updates. "Sometimes we actually have applicants that come in three or four times before they even do a submittal," Heather said, noting staff regularly asks for three hard copies and one digital copy at submittal.

The commission repeatedly raised concerns about material arriving late in the packet or on the day of a hearing. Commissioners said late referral or public comments and applicant submissions the day of the hearing create an unfair burden: insufficient time to review complex technical materials and no equitable opportunity for the applicant or staff to respond. "If somebody doesn't send it in the proper time and it shows up on my desk, it's sometimes a fire hose," one commissioner said. Commissioners discussed options including bylaw deadlines, limits on late public comments, and automatic continuances when significant new referral comments appear on short notice.

Heather said staff will bring bylaw options for the commission to consider, and staff and commissioners agreed that a formal bylaw change would be the proper vehicle to set deadlines and page limits for late submissions.

Ending: Staff committed to drafting bylaw language to clarify timelines for submissions, referral deadlines and limits for late public submissions.