Planning director presents draft floodplain ordinance changes after Ecology compliance visits; two sites may be resolved by property owner sign‑offs

Director Palmer of the county Planning Department handed commissioners a working draft of a proposed amendment to Chapter 15.08, the county's floodplain management ordinance, and described a parallel compliance effort sparked by Department of Ecology community assistance visits.

Palmer said the redlined draft contains suggested changes from the Department of Ecology and that the planning department intends to share the draft with the Planning Commission and schedule work sessions with the board. The planning director recommended a legislative path that begins with a commissioner‑initiated amendment, followed by Planning Commission review and a subsequent public hearing.

Palmer also briefed the board about compliance letters the county has sent to properties that Ecology identified as having development inside mapped floodplain areas without county permits. He said the list of roughly 15 initially identified sites has been reduced to two properties, and staff believe both can be resolved if property owners sign letters confirming no structural alterations were performed that would require permits.

The planning director added a budget brief: staff will bring a supplemental appropriation request for one workstation tied to planning department needs; the sheriff's office donated two of the original requested workstations. He also noted the planning department will be closed for staff training on a new water‑availability section of the zone code and invited commissioners to attend the training session on Wednesday.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: planning staff will schedule work sessions, provide the Planning Commission with the draft, pursue signoffs from property owners on the two remaining compliance cases, and return to the board with a recommended public hearing schedule for the ordinance amendment.