Commission previews ordinance to limit legacy business awards, proposes tighter criteria

County staff told the commission the Legacy Business Program will be formalized through a text amendment to the county zoning ordinance and go first to the Infrastructure Regulation Committee and planning commission before returning for vote by the full panel.

"We drafted the ordinance, but we are waiting to create a decision memo and everything. It's gonna come to your board in the next meeting," staff said, describing the proposed process. Commissioners discussed past practice and the program's scale: one member said past efforts targeted many businesses per year and referenced a figure of "83 a year" that several commissioners called too high.

Staff said the new criteria will narrow eligibility and reduce volume: "we will cut down that 80 number to probably, I'm guessing, 20, because we want that historical legacy business award as a limited thing," a staff member said. Commissioners proposed limits ranging from about 10 to 12 awards per year to avoid overburdening volunteers and to keep the designation meaningful.

Commissioners asked to see the final draft of the criteria and discussed whether award ceremonies should occur at the county offices or at the businesses' locations. Staff will circulate a decision memo and the draft ordinance and return the item for a final vote.

Next steps: staff will prepare the decision memo and send the draft ordinance through the internal review process before returning it to the commission for a final vote.