PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners instructed the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to develop a draft nuisance noise ordinance during its Monday work session.
Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dee Boughton will devise a noise ordinance that reflects Clallam County without being too restrictive, cumbersome or complicated.
“I suggest we move away from the objective measure to the subjective measure,” Commissioner Bill Peach said. “In other words, keep it simple and where we have known occurrences.”
Boughton said the county’s noise ordinance is “quite limited.”
He noted in investigating nuisance noise ordinances from other counties that four parameters dominate their frameworks. They include: amplified noise (stereos, musical instruments, etc.), auto noise (loud mufflers, compression brakes, etc.), industrial noise (construction, etc.), and animal noise (donkeys braying, etc.).
“Clallam County really only addresses amplified noise,” Boughton told commissioners, though he suspected all four noise parameters exist in Clallam County. “So I think it would be wise to devise an ordinance that would address at least the three that are not currently regulated.”
Commissioners directed Boughton to draft the noise ordinance by August.
In other action Monday, the commissioners:
• Considered a motion to terminate Clallam County’s participation in the Hood Canal Regional Septic Loan Program, which has ceased operating.
The interlocal agreement, which the county joined in 2016, was designed to provide financial assistance to citizens … and consequently to address water quality issues in Hood Canal caused by onsite sewage problems. The program, comprising Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap and Mason counties and the Kitsap Public Health District, has been replaced with a similar one that operates statewide.
• Participated in a discussion by the regional non-profit Rural Development Institute (RDI) to implement a leadership development program in Forks and the West End. The RDI works with rural communities to develop leaders and to promote revitalized rural economies, according to Monday’s agenda item summary.
The program seemed to impress Commissioner Mark Ozias.
“The role of the program, as I see it, is to introduce people in Clallam County to ideas and concepts and peers that they might not have had otherwise,” he said.
Christine Gilmore, RDI leadership services business manager, seconded Ozias’ interpretation.
“We’re trying to connect people by introducing a pipeline for them to assume leadership roles,” she said.
• Considered a request to amend an agreement between the state Department of Ecology and Clallam County Community Development to extend for five months a phase 1 stormwater discharge project.
• Moved to their July 5 regular meeting a recommendation to increase the maximum number of Homelessness Task Force members from 25 to 26 due to an inaccuracy in total number of members compared with available positions.
• Moved to their July 5 regular meeting recommendations to appoint new members to vacant positions on the Homelessness Task Force, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, Clallam County Board of Health and the Conservation Futures Program Advisory Board.
• Considered a personal services agreement debatable emergency with the Lincoln Park BMX Association for $19,570 for the USABMX Northwest Gold Cup Finals. The additional funding would come from the county’s Hotel/Motel Tax fund.
• Considered a personal services agreement debatable emergency with the Forks Chamber of Commerce for $53,638 for the Twilight in Forks Festival. The additional funding would come from the county’s Hotel/Motel Tax fund.
• Considered a personal services agreement debatable emergency with the Port Angeles Waterfront Center for $145,000 to engage a qualified marketing and sales consultant. The additional funding would come from the county’s Hotel/Motel Tax fund.
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Reporter Paul Dunn can be reached at 360-452-2345 or by email at paul.dunn@peninsuladailynews.com.
