Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Critical Areas Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kittitas County commissioners approve resolution to begin formal adoption of amended Critical Areas Ordinance
Summary
On June 9, 2025, Kittitas County commissioners voted unanimously to approve Resolution No. 2025-118, directing Community Development Services to start formal steps to adopt an amended Critical Areas Ordinance following settlement talks with the Yakama Nation and a multi-year appeals process.
Kittitas County commissioners on June 9 unanimously approved a resolution directing the county's Community Development Services (CDS) department to begin the formal process to adopt an amended Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO).
CDS Director Chad Bala presented a staff report summarizing the legal history that prompted the amendment. Bala said the county adopted Ordinance No. 2021-016 on Dec. 7, 2021. The Yakama Nation filed a petition in early 2022 with the Growth Management Hearings Board; a merits hearing occurred on July 28, 2022, and the board issued its final decision on Sept. 7, 2022. The matter was subsequently appealed to the Thurston County Superior Court and then moved through the appellate process. Settlement discussions between Kittitas County and the Yakama Nation took place from July 2024 through May 2025, and a joint status report was filed with the Division III Court of Appeals on June 3, 2025 indicating the parties had concluded negotiations and that an amended ordinance would be required.
Bala referred the commissioners to Resolution No. 2025-118, which would direct CDS to initiate the next procedural steps needed for formal approval of the amended CAO.
Vice Chair Cory Wright made the motion to approve Resolution No. 2025-118; Commissioner Brett Wachsmith seconded. Wright thanked CDS Director Bala and Planning Manager Jamey Ayling for their work on the project. Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Hartung also thanked Bala and Ayling, saying their explanations of the code language helped her office complete a faster review. The motion carried with all in favor.
The action recorded at the study session is an administrative direction for staff to begin the formal ordinance-approval process; the transcript does not record a finalized amended ordinance or the details of any specific regulatory changes. The board did not take additional votes on ordinance language at this meeting. The session concluded at 2:37 p.m.
Next steps, as indicated by staff, are for CDS to follow the county's formal land-use and notice procedures to move the amended CAO through any required hearings and final adoption steps; specific hearing dates and text of the amended ordinance were not provided in the transcript.
