Planning commission backs housekeeping change to Okanogan County code references

The Okanogan County Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners adopt a procedural amendment correcting references from "Title 17A" to "Title 17" across multiple county codes.

The commission's staff described the proposal as a housekeeping correction. "They're, basically suggesting that we do a housekeeping, correction and do a sweep through all the codes," a planning staff member said during the meeting. The staff listed about 10 code chapters that would be adjusted, including provisions on the hearings examiner, appeals of administrative actions, assemblies and festivals, road approaches, physical addressing, critical areas, shoreline management, subdivision, and development permit procedures and administration.

"I move that we recommend this to the county commissioners to adopt the 17. Okay. The 17. Zone code," the commission chair said when making the motion to forward the procedural amendment. Members voted by voice; the chair called for those in favor and received aye votes with no recorded opposition.

Commissioners and staff said the correction does not alter substantive rules or requirements and therefore is being processed as a procedural amendment that "will not require a public hearing," the planning staff member said. The motion, as passed, sends a recommendation to the county commissioners to adopt the corrected citation throughout affected code chapters.

The next step is for staff to transmit the commission's recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners and to follow the county's established workshop and notice process for the item. The commission noted it would circulate the marked-up code excerpts to members for review before the county-level proceeding.

Clarifying details included a staff offer to distribute highlighted copies of the code changes to commission members and that the change is limited to correcting the cited title and not to amending substantive text.