Planning commission workshops code‑enforcement changes, debates 'may' versus 'shall' for enforcement

The commission held an extended workshop on proposed code‑enforcement revisions that would reorganize fee language, clarify towing procedures and add a staged enforcement timeline. A commissioner reported speaking with Trooper Gula and the Washington State Patrol about towing, and staff and commissioners discussed moving fee language into a consolidated code‑enforcement section.

A central debate was whether certain enforcement steps should remain discretionary ('may') or be mandatory ('shall') after a set period. One commissioner said the authority to escalate should be retained for flexibility in residential nuisance cases, while others favored a speedier approach for commercial or industrial violators. Staff advised the commissioners which sections of the land‑use code (chapter references discussed) would house the revised language and offered to embed a caveat specifying that commercial/industrial violators not in compliance after a set period could be subject to mandatory action.