The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to hear public testimony on a new proposed land use enforcement code.
The legislation will consolidate the county’s 11 different code enforcement titles into one, while also adding a few changes.
According to Katie Knight Pruit, associate planner for Thurston County, consolidating the land use titles into one ensures a more efficient and effective process that is more transparent for both the public and the staff.
The revised code would add the authority to issue civil penalties to those who violate land use regulations, allowing the county to issue tickets.
For a class 1 violation, a $513 ticket could be issued for a dangerous building, unauthorized work in the right of way, or failure to comply with a stop work order, among others.
A class 2 violation, which would cost $256, targetsing more “nuisance” type infractions, such as junk vehicles and illegal outdoor storage.
The new title will categorize class 1 classifications into a table, something that is currently not available, and it will also allow civil infractions and penalties to be issued against the violator and not just the property owner, Pruit said.
Title 26-Code Enforcement is something completely new for the area, and Pruit said other jurisdictions have put in place similar enforcement codes in order to unify land use legislation.
“To have a unified code enforcement is just going to make it a lot smoother for implementation and will be much more consistent,” she said.
The new enforcement code legislation was developed for the board of county commissioners with the overall goal to improve complacence effectiveness and efficiency.
In 2012, staff was asked by the commissioners to review the county land use compliance codes to identify areas where code amendments would be warranted. After review, the board desired new code language to help increase compliance, success and organization, creating Title 26.
“A unified enforcement code with enforcement processes and requirements in one place is more readily understandable by citizens and is a more focused reference for staff,” stated a press release. “It helps to ensure that compliance actions, regardless of the code violation, will be consistent.”
The new legislation would affect land use code enforcement throughout unincorporated Thurston County.
The public hearing on proposed Title 26 — Code Enforcement will take place on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the county courthouse building 1, room 280, located at 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW in Olympia.
The public is invited to participate in an informal discussion, and testimony will be accepted. For those who are unable to make it, written comments may be submitted in lieu of testimony and can be mailed to Katie Knight Pruit at pruitk@co.thurston.wa.us or mailed to Thurston County Resource Stewardship Department, Land Use and Permitting, ATTN: Katie Knight Pruit, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Olympia, WA 98502.
The deadline for written comments is 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and changes may be made to the legislation following the Tuesday public hearing.
