County mulls planning group changes

Whitman County is reconsidering the roster of its citizen planning commission.

Because of difficulty in attracting volunteer members, commissioners are considering reducing the nine-member board to seven members.

The volunteer commission sets land use policy for the county. In recent years, the planning commission has dealt with a number of controversial issues, including zoning laws for wind farms, housing in the agricultural zone and development rules for the Pullman-Moscow Corridor.

The planning commission currently has three vacancies.

Planner Alan Thomson told commissioners Monday those numbers have made it difficult for the commission to field enough members for a quorum.

Commissioner Michael Largent asked Monday if removing the requirement that the planning panel be composed with residents from each of the three commissioner districts would also be acceptable.

“How important is that to the electorate that planning commission membership is spread across the county?” asked Largent.

Under current county code, the planning commission must have three members from each commissioner district. Thomson said a seven-member panel would have two from each district with one at-large seat.

Commissioner Greg Partch said he has heard concern from some citizens that dropping the representative format could result in too many members from Pullman.

“There is a concern that in and around Pullman that we could get too many people that are of the urban view,” explained Partch.

Largent noted the current commissioner lines “pie into” Pullman which would allow commissioners now to appoint an all-Pullman panel.

Thomson said he would gauge the thoughts of the current planning commissioners on dropping the district requirement. He said the panel was against the seven-member proposal but agreed to seek that alternative as a means of getting a full panel.

Reduction of the commission seats first came up in April, when the planning commission could not gather enough members for a quorum. The county advertised for new members, but came up empty.