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Gilliam County agrees to hire consultant to process Saddle Butte wind-and-storage application, says applicant will reimburse costs
Summary
Planners told the county a Saddle Butte wind-and-battery conditional-use application qualifies to be heard locally under a recent state law; commissioners approved a project-specific consultant contract not to exceed $25,000 to speed processing, with the county to recover costs from the applicant.
Gilliam County planning staff recommended a project-specific personal services agreement with Basecamp Planning & Consulting Services to process a conditional-use application from Saddle Butte for a wind-and-battery storage facility, and the court approved the $25,000 not-to-exceed agreement on July 15.
Planning Director Michelle Holding told commissioners the application arrived after House Bill 4031 took effect and that HB 4031 allows certain large renewable energy facilities to apply directly to local jurisdictions rather than the state energy siting council. "The project does qualify," Holding said, and staff recommended contracting for additional consultant capacity so the county can review the application within its current workload and staffing transition.
Holding said the county expects to front consultant costs and recoup them from the applicant under a 2003 county resolution allowing recovery of consultant and legal processing costs for land-use applications. Commissioners moved to approve a personal-services agreement specific to the Saddle Butte application in an amount not to exceed $25,000, and the motion carried on a unanimous voice vote.
The agreement is project-specific and subject to state small procurement rules; staff said Saddle Butte representatives were informed that the county would contract externally because in-house capacity is limited. Commissioners did not approve substantive project merits at the July 15 meeting; they authorized the consultant contract to process the application and handle technical review that will inform future hearings and decisions.
Next steps outlined by staff include executing the consultant contract, scheduling technical review and public-noticing steps, and coordinating a follow-up meeting with Saddle Butte representatives and county staff.
