How items get on the public hearing agenda
Items reach the public hearing agenda in a number of ways:
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Routine items such as bid openings and awards are placed on the board’s agenda by the Clerk to the Board after initial review by the county’s Purchasing Division.
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Items requiring more review, such as supplemental appropriations, authorization for contracts between the county and other parties, grant proposals, and similar agenda items, may be discussed by the board and county staff in the board’s administrative meetings or work sessions. After they have been reviewed and relevant information has been compiled, these items are placed on the board’s agenda.
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New ordinances, ordinance amendments, and other substantive items may take months to get to the board’s formal hearing agenda. These items are often reviewed by the board in several work sessions. Sometimes proposed ordinances or amendments are also reviewed by citizens advisory groups, ad hoc citizens work groups, or other parties who have expressed an interest in the subject area.
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Ordinances involving changes in land-use policy, such as zoning, are first heard by the Clark County Planning Commission, which submits its recommendations to the board for a final decision.
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Appeals of land-use hearings examiner decisions come to the board after the issue has already been decided by a hearings examiner and after one or more interested parties appeal the examiner’s decision. Unlike other items the board considers, land-use appeals are reviewed by the board in a quasi-judicial manner. Because of this legality, land-use appeals are reviewed in public meetings where the board does not take public comments. The board is required by law to limit its review to only the materials available to the hearings examiner and any written arguments as to why the examiner’s decision was correct or incorrect.
Party of Record
If you are a party of record, you are placed on a list to receive meeting notices and information about the project under review. Anyone can become a party of record by attending the hearings examiner hearing and signing the party-of-record sign-up sheet. You can also contact the county’s land-use development staff at (360) 397-2375 ext. 4997 and ask to become a party of record. Individuals directly involved in the land-use issue under review, such as project applicants or neighbors who live within a certain distance of the project, are automatically made parties of record.
