Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Review Guidelines topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Commission approves update to Butte County Environmental Review Guidelines and forwards recommendation to supervisors
Summary
Butte County Planning Commission voted to find the Environmental Review Guidelines update exempt from CEQA and recommended the Board of Supervisors adopt the revisions designed to clarify submittal requirements, tribal consultation, consultant selection and the county's role as lead agency.
Roland Hickel, senior planner with Butte County Development Services, told the Planning Commission that the county is updating its Environmental Review Guidelines to align local CEQA procedures with current practice; the guidelines were last revised in 1996 and staff prepared an addendum rather than a new EIR.
Hickel said the package clarifies application submittal requirements and project descriptions, adds guidance on early consultations including consultations with Native American tribes, updates consultant selection and contract administration procedures, and clarifies the county's role as lead agency for certain special districts during annexations. He told commissioners the update is exempt from CEQA under a Class A/common-sense exemption.
John Snowberger of the Upper Ridge Community Council said the "additions regarding early consultation are a small step in the right direction" and urged staff to bring recognized community representatives into outreach earlier to avoid appeals and better align projects with community priorities.
An unidentified county public works official told the commission that other county departments increasingly prepare notices of exemption and environmental documentation for grants and that the updated guidelines will give departments more flexibility to prepare and file documents without delay.
Commissioner (Speaker 3) moved to find the project exempt from CEQA, approve the Environmental Review Guidelines (Attachment A), and recommend adoption by the Board of Supervisors; Commissioner (Speaker 6) seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote with affirmative responses recorded and no objections noted. The commission forwarded the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
The commission's action means the draft guidelines will be transmitted to the Board for final action; staff recommended that step and said the update is intended to streamline the county's environmental review process and reflect current departmental practices.
