Copperton planning commission recommends council not adopt state WUI ordinance

The Copperton Planning Commission on Dec. 3 voted to recommend that the town council not adopt the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) ordinance the state tied to House Bill 48, citing questions about the accuracy of the state risk map and possible insurance consequences for residents.

Planning staff explained the ordinance implements the state's WUI code and that the state produced a risk map using a numerical scale; staff said Copperton's proposal would apply the WUI code only to areas rated 7 or higher and would exclude school sites at the council's request. Planning staff said the map in the packet was based on older data and that development can lower risk ratings over time.

The issue drew public comment and active questioning. John Johnson, who identified himself for the record and gave an address, said insurers have canceled some local policies and reported steep premium increases, telling the commission: "They did cancel policy policies. It was where it did go to our new policy. It's been that way from December last year, as far as I know, up until today." Planning staff acknowledged they were not certain which insurers had used what criteria but confirmed the town can choose where to apply the state code.

A presenter summarizing HB 48 told the commission the legislation followed devastating California wildfires and is intended to identify high-risk areas and reduce statewide insurance disruption; the presenter said the state adopted the WUI code but allowed municipalities flexibility in determining where it applies, and that Unified Fire Authority had helped coordinate Copperton's assessment.

During discussion, Chair said on the record he would oppose adopting a state-mandated code on principle, stating, "I am going to vote no on this because I I don't like centralized control from the state." Commissioners debated whether the state map accurately reflects current local conditions and whether nonadoption risks withholding of state resources in the event of wildfire.

After public comment and staff responses, the commission moved and passed a recommendation that the council not adopt the required WUI ordinance. The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the Copperton Town Council for its consideration.

The public hearing record and the commission's recommendation from Dec. 3 will accompany the item when it goes to the council.