Three chairs now open on planning panel

Volunteers are now being sought to help the county with recommendations for code and zoning ordinances. Currently three spots are vacant on the county planning commission.

“It can be kind of interesting,” said Alan Thomson, planning director.

Thomson explained there are no prerequisites.

“They’re volunteering their time,” he said. The commission meets once or twice a month, depending on the need. Since many of the seats are filled or have been filled by farmers, the commission takes the month of August off. Major projects cause the commission to meet more often.

“When we were working on the wind ordinance, we met a lot,” Thomson said.

As things currently stand, when the commission meets again in September, three of its nine seats will be vacant unless people can be found to fill them. The commission needs a majority vote of its nine-member board to conduct business.

“It would be great to have them filled,” Thomson said.

The planning commission holds hearings on zone changes and code amendments. They may research changes to codes, delve into the particulars and then make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.

Thomson also sits in on the meetings in an advisory role.

“My job is to help them understand the code,” Thomson said.

The commission is made up of three members from each of the three county commissioner districts.

Two of the vacant positions are in commissioner district one, and one position is in district two.

District one is primarily northern Whitman County beginning about Revere on the west side of the county.

The district’s boundary heads east to where the Palouse River intersects Lancaster Road, then follows the river until just north of Manning where it then proceeds to Dry Creek until Elberton Road and turns south, keeping west of Kamiak Butte, and entering Pullman at Highway 27.

District One and District Two are divided approximately by the east side of WSU and just north of Orville Boyd Road and Pullman Airport Road.

District Two covers the southern leg of the county.

The northern border extends west from Pullman along Highway 270 to Almota.

Anyone interested in learning more about the planning commission seats or applying for one can contact Maribeth Becker at the Whitman County Commissioners’ office, 397-6200.