Resident alleges zoning board has failed to post legally required information, warns of court challenges

A resident told Washington County commissioners that the county zoning board has not legally posted required meeting-notice information — specifically the board members’ names, who appointed them, and the official start and end dates of their terms — and said he filed a formal complaint with the Public Access Counselor on May 26.

During public comment, the resident described the omission as longstanding and said the Public Access Counselor responded to notify the zoning board that it must comply and provide a reason if it could not do so by June 30. The resident said he had not yet received a final response from the counselor but warned that decisions made by a board that does not comply with statutory notice requirements could be overturned in court.

The resident framed the issue as one of property rights and fairness, saying the alleged posting failures allow the board to use county resources to limit property owners’ rights. No county official in the transcript provided a legal rebuttal during the hearing; commissioners acknowledged the complaint and the resident’s concerns and said they would look into the matter.

Because this matter was raised during public comment, commissioners did not undertake an immediate formal investigation at the meeting; the transcript records the complaint and the resident’s request that commissioners 'get it together' and comply with state notice requirements.

The resident asked citizens to pay attention to how local boards post and describe appointments and term dates in meeting notices. The county did not record any direct response from the zoning board in the meeting transcript.