PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is seeking volunteers to help commissioners select the next hearing examiner.
Hearing examiners adjudicate land-use matters in a quasi-judicial role, ruling on appeals of Department of Community Development decisions and a variety of permits.
Five candidates have applied for the key position, but only one volunteer has stepped up to serve on an ad hoc interview committee that will assist the board in the selection.
Commissioners since February have sought representatives of the environmental community, building industry and legal profession to serve on the screening committee.
Just one volunteer
Darlene Schanfald of the Sierra Club North Olympic Group was the only person to volunteer, County Administrator Jim Jones said.
“We’ve already been told that nobody from the prosecutors office, DCD [Department of Community Development] or any of the judges would want to be on said committee because of potential conflicts,” Jones told commissioners in their Monday work session.
“So really, it’s up to you.”
Commissioner Bill Peach suggested a representative of the county Planning Commission.
“That would be a good compromise,” Board Chairman Mike Chapman said.
“I think you could find somebody from that group.”
Commissioner Mike Ozias said he would pitch the opportunity to members of the North Peninsula Building Association at their breakfast meeting today.
Try one more time
“I definitely think it makes sense to try at least one more time,” Ozias said of the recruiting effort.
“If that still doesn’t work then, OK, we’ll do something different.”
No date has been set for the interviews with the five candidates, Human Resources Director Rich Sill said.
Contracts with current Hearing Examiners Lauren Erickson and William Payne will expire at the end of May.
Commissioners decided in January to hire a primary hearing examiner rather than continue a split rotation.
Erickson and Payne have rotated hearings for a flat fee of $2,250 per case.
The primary hearing examiner will operate under a three-year contract with the county.
In other discussion from the work session, Community Development Director Mary Ellen Winborn volunteered to be Clallam County’s representative on the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce board.
“It’s a very positive group of people, so I’m really excited to do that,” Winborn said.
Jones has served as the county representative on the chamber board for the past 10 years. He was a Port Angeles School District representative for four years prior to that.
Marc Abshire, new executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, has said chamber by-laws limit terms to three years, Jones said.
The chamber has reserved ex officio, non-voting positions for the county, city of Port Angeles, Port of Port Angeles and Olympic National Park.
“It would be a refreshing change to have someone who’s not in the legislative body but on the community development side of things,” Chapman told Winborn.
“You have my 100 percent support if you want to serve, if you would be willing to serve.”
Next week, commissioners will consider a request for proposals for live-video streaming and on-demand accessibility of public meetings.
10-point list
Staff has developed a 10-point list of requirements from qualified providers.
No commissioner objected to the request for proposals Monday.
The selected content provider will host a library of county meetings with an unlimited storage capacity.
Citizens will be able to view commissioner meetings, which occur at 9 a.m. Mondays and 10 a.m Tuesdays, at any time through a link on the county’s website.
“It’s more about putting a product out there that the majority of the Clallam County citizens can access at their leisure, and not based on any kind of broadcast channel requirement or something like that,” said Allen Coleman, information systems specialist.
The estimated cost to the county will be less than $12,000 per year.
“I’m really excited to see how this works out,” Ozias said.
“I think it’s going to be really excellent for our citizens.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula
dailynews.com.
