HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-07-2025 1-7-2025 Agenda * Planning Commission
CITY OF * Regular Meeting
J\UBIJRN January 7, 2025 - 7:00 PM
City Hall Council Chambers
WASHINGTON
AGENDA
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A. The Planning Commission Meeting scheduled for January 7, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. will be held
in person and virtually.
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CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
AGENDA MODIFICATIONS
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
This is the place on the agenda where the public is invited to speak to the Board on any issue.
A. Comment from the audience on any proposal for action by the Commission. If the
comment is related to an action subsequently listed here as a public hearing, the comment
should be provided at the time of the public hearing.
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The public can participate in-person or submit written comments in advance.
Participants can submit written comments via mail, fax, or email. All written comments
must be received prior to 5:00 p.m. on the day before the scheduled meeting and must be
350 words or less.
Please mail written comments to:
City of Auburn
Attn: Tammy Gallier, Administrative Specialist
25 W Main St
Auburn, WA 98001
Please fax written comments to:
Attn: Tammy Gallier, Administrative Specialist
Fax number: 253-804-3114
Email written comments to: tgallier@auburnwa.gov
If an individual requires accommodation to allow for remote oral comment because of a
difficulty attending a meeting of the governing body, the City requests notice of the need for
accommodation by 5:00 p.m. on the day before the scheduled meeting. Participants can
request accommodation to be able to provide a remote oral comment by contacting the
Community Development Department in person, by phone (253) 931-3090 or by email
(tgallier@auburnwa.gov).
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. December 3, 2024 Draft Minutes from the Regular Planning Commission Meeting
OTHER BUSINESS
A. Planning Commission Chair and Vice Chair Selection for 2025
B. Planning Commission Rules and Procedures (Teague)
Staff to present the amended Rules and Procedures for 2025
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT
ADJOURNMENT
The City of Auburn Planning Commission is a seven member advisory body that provides
recommendations to the Auburn City Council on the preparation of and amendments to land use
plans and related codes such as zoning. Planning Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and
confirmed by the City Council.
Actions taken by the Planning Commission, other than approvals or amendments to the Planning
Commission Rules of Procedure, are not final decisions; they are in the form of recommendations to
the City Council which must ultimately make the final decision.
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CITY OF
J\I.JBU1R.ts4 AGENDA BILL APPROVAL FORM
WASHINGGTTON
Agenda Subject: Meeting Date:
December 3, 2024 Draft Minutes from the Regular Planning Commission January 7, 2025
Meeting
Department: Attachments: Budget Impact:
Community Development December 3, 2024 Minutes
Administrative Recommendation:
Background for Motion:
Background Summary:
Councilmember: Staff: Jason Krum
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Planning Commission
CITY OE , Regular Meeting
AWJJ3WJJJJ December 3, 2024 - 6:30 PM
City Hall Council Chambers
WAS H I N GTON
MINUTES
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
The City of Auburn Planning Commission Meeting was held in person and virtually.
CALL TO ORDER
Vice Chair Stephen Phillips called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Council
Chambers of Auburn City Hall, 25 West Main Street.
ROLL CALL
Commissioners present: Vice Chair Phillip Stephens, Julie Berry, Kent Sprague,
William Stewart, Aaron VanderPol, and Lynn Walters. Commissioner Aaron VanderPol
arrived at 6:31 p.m. Chair Judi Roland was excused.
Staff members present: Planning Services Manager Alexandria Teague, Senior City
Staff Attorney Taryn Jones, Director of Community Development Jason Krum, Planner
Alyssa Tatro, Utilities Engineering Manager Ryan Vondrak, Water Utility Engineer
Senait Gebreeyesus, Acting Deputy City Clerk Gerri Blackwell, and Deputy City Clerk
Hannah Scholl.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Vice Chair Stephen Phillips led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA MODIFICATIONS
There were no agenda modifications.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
No public comments were received.
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APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. October 8, 2024 Draft Minutes from the Regular Planning Commission Meeting
Commissioner Sprague moved and Commissioner Berry seconded to approve
the October 8, 2024, Meeting Minutes.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6-0
B. October 23, 2024 Draft Minutes from the Special Planning Commission
Meeting
Commissioner Sprague moved and Commissioner Berry seconded to approve
the October 23, 2024, Meeting Minutes.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6-0
INTRODUCTION
A. 2024 Comprehensive Plan - Planning Commission (Teague)
Brief overview of tonight's agenda items.
PUBLIC HEARING
A. Water Plan (Vondrak)
Planning Commission deliberation and action on the proposed changes to the
Capital Facilities Element
Vice Chair Phillips opened the Public Hearing at 6:34 p.m.
Engineer Gebreeyesus provided the Commission with a presentation on the
Water Plan including a recap of the Plan, Water System Service Area details,
King County Appeals process, and planning data. She also discussed the
System Analysis and Asset Management including the Department of Health
Regulatory Compliance updates, and Tacoma Water Intertie Capacities. She
discussed the Source Water Rights including the Department of Ecology Water
Rights, and the Water Use Efficiency Program. She provided an overview of
the Capital Improvements Plan, Financial update, Water System Policies, and
next steps. Manager Vondrak discussed the necessary upgrades causing the
rate increase, and advised Auburn water rates are comparable to other
jurisdictions.
The Commission discussed Braunwood Well Water Rights, and Water Rates,
and future rate fluctuations.
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In-Person Comments:
Bruce Parker - Auburn, WA
Bruce discussed new Water Wells and possible locations.
Vice Chair Phillips closed the Public Hearing at 7:08 p.m.
Commissioner Sprague moved and Commissioner Berry seconded, to provide
the recommended Water Plan move forward to the City Council for approval.
5-1. Commissioner Stewart voted no.
OTHER BUSINESS
A. Capital Facilities Element (Tatro)
Planning Commission deliberation and action on the proposed changes to the
Capital Facilities Element
Planner Tatro provided the Commission with a recap on the core changes of
the Capital Facilities Element.
Commissioner Stewart moved and Commissioner Sprague seconded to
provide the recommended Capital Facilities Element updates to City Council
for approval.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6-0
B. Utilities Element (Tatro)
Planning Commission deliberation and action on the proposed changes to the
Utilities Element
Planner Tatro provided the Commission with a recap on the core changes of
the Utilities Element.
The Commission discussed natural gas requirements.
Commissioner Walters moved and Commissioner Sprague seconded to
provide the recommended Utilities Element updates to City Council for
approval.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6-0
C. Land Use and Housing Element (Tatra)
Planning Commission deliberation and action on the proposed changes to the
Housing and Land Use Element
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Planner Tatro provided the Commission with a presentation on the Land Use
Housing Element updates including public comments received and staff
responses, updates, and next steps.
The Commission discussed public comments, updates made, and Accessory
Dwelling Units (ADUs).
Commissioner Sprague moved and Commissioner VanderPol seconded to
provide the recommended Land Use and Housing Elements updates to City
Council for approval.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6-0
D. 2024 Period Comprehensive Plan Update Package 2 (Teague)
Planning Commission deliberation and action on the elements contained in
package 2: Transportation Plan, Sewer Plan, Stormwater Plan, Water System
Plan, PROS Plan, Parks Element, Capital Facilities Element, Utilities Element,
Transportation Element
Manager Teague provided the Commission with an update on the 2024
Periodic Comprehensive Plan Package No. 2, including a recap of the entire
update process. She thanked the Commissioners for their help and
contributions.
The Commission discussed community outreach, and thanked staff for all of
their hard work.
Commissioner Stewart moved and Commissioner Walters seconded to provide
the recommended 2024 Period Comprehensive Plan Package No. 2 to City
Council for approval.
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. 6-0
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Manager Teague provided the Commission with a Community Development Report
including an update on the Auburn Downtown Plan, Auburn City Code clean-up
process, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Regulations review, Battery Energy
Storage Systems, and an upcoming review of the Commission's Rules of Procedure.
She also thanked Vice Chair Stephens for his contributions to the Planning
Commission.
The Commission discussed Battery Energy Storage Systems, the Rules of Procedure,
and the next meeting date. Staff and Commissioners thanked Vice Chair Stephens for
all his hard work during his time on the Planning Commission Board.
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ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was
adjourned at 7:53 p.m.
APPROVED this 7th day of January, 2025.
Phillip Stephens, Vice Chair Gerri Blackwell, Acting Deputy City Clerk
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CITY OF AUBURN
PLANNING COMMISSION
RULES OF PROCEDURE
ADOPTED NOVEMBER, 1983
REVISED NOVEMBER, 1988
UPDATED APRIL, 2000
REVISED FEBRUARY, 2007
REVISED APRIL 2, 2013
REVISED MARCH 8, 2016
REVISED May 2, 2017
REVISED February 6, 2018
REVISED, 2018
REVISED June 5, 2018
REVISED March 5, 2019
REVISED March 3, 2020
REVISED June 8, 2021
REVISED May 3, 2022
REVISED March 7, 2023
REVISED JUNE 4, 2024
REVISED December 17, 2024
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PLANNING COMMISSION - RULES OF PROCEDURE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION SUBJECT PAGE
I. NAME 4
II. MEETINGS 4
III. ELECTION OF OFFICERS 6
IV. CHAIR 6
V. SECRETARY 7
VI. QUORUM 7
VII. ABSENCE OF MEMBERS 7
VIII. ACTIONS DEFINED 8
IX. AGENDA 8
X. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9
XI. PUBLIC COMMENT AND CONDUCT 14
XII. CONFLICT OF INTEREST 15
XIII. AMENDMENT 17
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CITY OF AUBURN PLANNING COMMISSION
RULES OF PROCEDURE
We, the members of the Planning Commission of the City of Auburn, do hereby
adopt, publish, and declare the following Rules of Procedure:
NAME:
The official name of the City of Auburn advisory planning agency shall be "The
City of Auburn Planning Commission." The membership and terms of office of
the members of the Planning Commission shall be as provided in Chapter
2.45 of the Auburn City Code (ACC).
II. MEETINGS:
1. All meetings will be held at the Auburn City Hall, Auburn, Washington,
unless otherwise directed by the Secretary or Chair of the Planning
Commission. Commissioners shall attend in person at the notified
location unless the Chair consents to remote attendance by a
member(s).
If after a declaration of an emergency by the mayor, governor, or the
federal government, the Chair determines that a meeting in-person with
public attendance cannot be held with reasonable safety due to the
emergency, the Chair may order the meeting held at a site other than
City Hall, held remotely without a physical location, or held with
limitations on the physical attendance of some or all members of the
public. At any such meeting, the Commission may determine if future
meetings will be held in the same manner until the declaration is
terminated or the Commission determines that an in-person meeting
with public attendance is reasonably safe. Remote or partially remote
meetings shall comply with RCW 42.30.230.
"remotely" and "remote attendance" means attending a meeting virtually
or using an internet connection where all persons attending the meeting
in any manner can hear one another, including telephonic connections
and broadcasting the meeting.
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2a. Through 2024 regular meetings shall be held on the Tuesday following
the first and third Monday of each month and shall be open to the
publN hemeeting shall convene at 6:30 P.M. unless otherwise
directed by the Secretary or the Chair.
2b. Starting in 2025 rRegular meetings shall be held on the Tuesday
following the first Monday of each month and shall be open to the
public. The meeting shall convene at 7:00 P.M. unless otherwise
directed by the Secretary or the Chair.
3a. Through 2024 if the first or third Monday of the month is a legal holiday,
the regular meeting chall bo held on the following Wednesday. If a
regular meeting day (Tuesday) falls on a legal holiday or on the
November General Election, the Commicc.on will convene on the
following Wednesday.
3b. Starting in 2025 iflf the first Monday of the month is a legal holiday, the
regular meeting shall be held on the following Wednesday. If a regular
meeting day (Tuesday) falls on a legal holiday or on the November
General Election, the Commission will convene on the following
Wednesday.
4. Special meetings of the Planning Commission may be called by the
Chair. Special meetings of the Planning Commission may also be
called by any three members of the Commission. A minimum notice of
24 hours shall be provided for special meetings in accordance with
State law.
5. If no matters over which the Planning Commission has jurisdiction are
pending upon its calendar, a meeting may be canceled at the notice of
the Secretary or Chair provided at least 24 hours in advance.
6. Except as modified by these Rules of Procedure, Robert's Rules of
Order, Newly Revised, most current version, shall govern the conduct
of the meetings.
7. Meetings of the Planning Commission shall be conducted in conformity
with the requirements of the Washington State Open Public Meetings
Act, Chapter 42.30 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
Executive sessions can only be held in accordance with the provisions
of Section 42.30.110 RCW.
8. The Planning Commission may conduct business in closed session as
allowed in conformity with Section 42.30.140 RCW.
9. An agenda shall be prepared in advance of every regular and special
meeting of the Planning Commission. Meeting agendas and materials
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on items on an agenda for a regular meeting shall be provided to
members of the Planning Commission not less than five (5) days in
advance of the regular meeting. Meeting agendas and materials on
items on an agenda for a special meeting shall be provided to members
of the Planning Commission as promptly in advance of the meeting as
can reasonably be accomplished.
10. At all meetings of the Commission, commissioners are prohibited from
using cell phones or other personal communication devices, and shall
not send or receive and read e-mails, text messages, or any other
social media postings.
III. ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
1. The officers of the Commission shall consist of a Chair and Vice Chair
elected from the appointed members of the Commission and such other
officers as the Commission may, by the majority vote, approve and
appoint.
2. The election of officers shall take place once each year at the
Commission's first regular meeting of each calendar year, or as soon
thereafter as possible. The term of office of each officer shall run until
the subsequent election.
3. If the Chair or Vice-Chair vacates their position mid-term, the Planning
Commission will re-elect officers at their next scheduled meeting and as
their first order of business. If it is the Chair position that has been
vacated, the Vice-Chair will administer the election proceedings.
IV. CHAIR:
1. The Chair shall preside over the meetings of the Commission and may
exercise all the powers usually incident of the office. The Chair shall be
considered as a member of the Commission and have the full right to
have his/her own vote recorded in all deliberations of the Commission.
2. The Chair shall have the power to create temporary committees of one,
two or three members. Standing committees of the Commission shall
be created at the direction of the Commission and appointed by the
Chair. Standing or temporary committees may be charged with such
duties, examinations, investigations and inquiries relative to one or
more subjects of interest to the Commission. No standing or temporary
committee shall have the power to commit the Commission to the
endorsement of any plan or program without the approval at the regular
or special meeting of the Commission.
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3. The Vice Chair shall in the absence of the Chair, perform all the duties
incumbent upon the Chair.
4. In the event of the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair, the senior
member of the Commission present shall act as Chair for that meeting
or may delegate the responsibility to another member.
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V. SECRETARY:
The Community Development Director ("Director"), or his/her appointee, shall
act as the Secretary for the Planning Commission and shall keep a record of
all meetings of the Commission and its committees. These records shall be
retained at the Community Development Department and by the City Clerk.
All public hearings shall be electronically recorded verbatim and may be
transcribed upon request of the Director, City Attorney, the majority of the
Commission, or City Council. Transcriptions may be requested by other
parties, in which case, the costs of transcription shall be borne by the
requesting party.
The City Clerk shall record the meeting minutes, which shall be action minutes
that include the meeting date, time, and place; commissioner attendance; and
official acts taken at the meeting. The Clerk shall prepare the minutes in
writing and present them to the Commission for correction and approval.
VI. QUORUM:
A simple majority of the appointed members shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. A simple majority vote of the quorum present shall be
sufficient to take action on the matters before the Commission; provided that if
at any time during the meeting, a quorum is no longer present, the
Commission may not take action on any matter.
VII. ABSENCE OF MEMBERS:
Participation in Planning Commission responsibilities is essential; not only so
that a quorum can be established, but to also ensure that discussions and
decision making are as representative of the community as possible.
Recurring absence also diminishes a member's ability to vote on matters
discussed during prior meetings. It is therefore important for all appointed
members to participate to the maximum extent possible. If a member is
unable to participate on a regular basis, it may be appropriate for a member to
be replaced. This section of the rules is intended to provide standards that
ensure that the regular absence of one member does not become disruptive
to, or impede the work of, the full Commission.
In the event of a member being absent for two (2) consecutive regular
meetings, or being absent from 25% of the regular meetings during any
calendar year, without being excused by the Chair, the Chair may request that
the Mayor ask for his or her resignation. To be excused, members must inform
the planning commission's secretary in advance if they cannot attend a
scheduled meeting.
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VIII. ACTIONS DEFINED:
The rules of the Commission impose different requirements according to the
type of action before the Commission.
1. Legislative actions are those which affect broad classes of people of the
whole City. These actions include adopting, amending, or revising
comprehensive, community, or neighborhood plans, or other land use
planning documents or the adoption of area wide zoning ordinances or
the adoption of a zoning ordinance amendment that is area wide in
significance.
2. Quasi-judicial actions of the Planning Commission are those actions
which determine the legal rights, duties, or privileges of specific parties
in a hearing or other contested case proceeding. Quasi-judicial actions
include actions that would otherwise be administrative or legislative if
applied more widely or city-wide, rather than affecting one or a small
number of persons or properties. Quasi-judicial actions do not include
the legislative actions adopting, amending, or revising comprehensive,
community, or neighborhood plans or other land use planning
documents or the adoption of area-wide zoning ordinances or the
adoption of a zoning amendment that is of general or area-wide
significance.
3. Organizational actions are those actions related to the organization and
operation of the Commission. Such actions include adoption of rules,
directions to staff, approval of reports, election of officers, etc.
IX. AGENDA:
An agenda shall be prepared for each meeting consisting of the following
order of business:
1. CALL TO ORDER
a) Roll Call/Establishment of Quorum
b) Pledge of Allegiance
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Public Hearings
4. Other Business Items as Appropriate
5. Community Development Report
6. Adjournment
Additional items may be added to the agenda by the Planning Commission.
The Chair shall have the discretion to amend the order of business.
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X. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
The procedure for conducting all public hearings will be as follows:
1. Chair opens the public hearing and establishes whether the proponent,
if applicable, is in attendance.
2. Staff Report.
3. Testimony of Proponent, if applicable. Persons addressing the
Commission, who are not specifically scheduled on the agenda, will be
requested to step up to the podium, give their name and address for the
record, and limit their remarks to three (3) minutes, in addition to filling
out the speaker sign in sheet available at the Secretary's desk. All
remarks will be addressed to the Commission as a whole. The
Secretary shall serve as timekeeper. The Presiding Officer may make
exceptions to the time restrictions of persons addressing the
Commission when warranted, at the discretion of the Presiding Officer.
4. Chair calls for other testimony, either for or against. Testimony must be
called for three times. The Chair shall have the discretion to set time
limits on individual public testimony.
5. All testimony and comments by persons addressing the Commission
shall be relevant and pertinent to issues before the Commission's public
hearing. The Chair shall have the discretion to rule on the relevance of
individual public testimony.
6. Questions of staff or persons presenting testimony. Questions by
Planning Commissioners that are intended for persons who have
provided testimony shall be directed through the Chair. Questions to
persons who have provided testimony shall be relevant to the testimony
that was provided.
7. Chair closes public hearing.
8. A public hearing may be reopened by motion duly seconded and
approved by a majority vote to accept additional testimony.
9. Deliberation.
10. Voting:
A. The Chair shall call for a vote.
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B. Members shall vote by voice, unless a member is unable to do
so or a member requests a vote by show of hands. If unable to
vote by voice, a member shall make a clear expression of the
member's vote through raising a hand, sending an electronic
message or electronic signal that can be seen by all other
commissioners simultaneous with the vote, or other similarly
clear and timely action Any member, including the Chair, not
voting or submitting an unclear vote shall be recorded as voting
in the negative.
C. The Chair or a Commission member may request that the
Secretary take a roll call vote or a vote by show of hands. Also,
to ensure an accurate record of voting, the Secretary may take
either on his/her own initiative.
D. A member may abstain from discussion and voting on a question
because of a stated conflict of interest or appearance of fairness.
If any member of the Planning Commission wishes to abstain, or
has disclosed a conflict of interest and must abstain from a vote,
that member shall so advise the Commission, shall remove and
absent himself/herself from the deliberations, and considerations
of the matter, and shall have no further participation in the
matter. The member should make this determination prior to any
discussion or participation on the subject matter or as soon
thereafter as the member perceives a need to abstain. A
member may confer with the City Attorney to determine if the
member is required to abstain.
If the intended abstention can be anticipated in advance, any
conference with the City Attorney should occur prior to the
meeting at which the subject matter would be coming before the
Planning Commission. If that cannot be done, the member
should advise the Chair that he/she has an "abstention question"
that he/she wants to review with the City Attorney, in which case,
the Chair shall call a brief recess for that purpose before
proceeding further.
E. If a tie vote exists, after recording the Chair's vote, the motion
fails. However, a motion for denial that fails on a tie vote shall
not be considered an approval.
F. No member may participate in any decision if the member had
not reviewed the staff reports and testimony presented at the
hearing on the matter. Such member may, however, listen to the
recording of the hearing in order to satisfy this requirement.
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11. Continuing an Item:
If the Commission wishes to continue a public hearing item, the Chair
should open the public hearing, solicit testimony, and request a motion
from the Commission to continue the public hearing item to a time,
place, and date certain. If any matter is tabled or postponed without
establishing a date, time, and place certain, the matter shall be
scheduled for a hearing pursuant to the appropriate noticing procedure
in the Auburn City Code and the day, time, and place shall be those
defined in these rules for regular meetings of the Commission.
The secretary shall conspicuously post notice that a hearing has been
continued and the date, time, and location of the continued hearing on
the City's website and at or near the place where the continued meeting
was held.
12. Findings of Fact:
The Commission should adopt findings of fact and conclusions for
actions taken involving public hearing items. The findings and
conclusions may be approved by any one of the following methods:
A. The Commission may adopt in whole, in part, or with
amendments, the written findings prepared by staff. Motions to
approve the staff recommendations shall be deemed to
incorporate such findings and conclusions unless otherwise
indicated. Such findings and conclusions do not have to be read
in order to be deemed a part of the record.
B. The motion to take action may adopt oral finding of fact
statements made by Commission members or staff during the
hearing or deliberation.
C. The motion to take an action may direct that additional written
findings and conclusions be developed based on the hearing and
deliberation of the Commission.
D. Findings and conclusions may be approved or amended at any
time by the Planning Commission, but all such actions shall be
based on the record of the matter at hand.
13. Order of Hearings:
Normally the order of hearings shall be as published in the agenda.
However, the Chair in order to avoid unnecessary inconvenience to
people wishing to testify, or the late arrival of a proponent, may change
the order as may be necessary to facilitate the meeting. If the
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proponent does not appear at the public hearing, the Planning
Commission may continue the public hearing until the next meeting in
order to ensure adequate consideration of the proposal. However, in
such case the Chair shall take whatever testimony that may be given
before accepting a motion to continue pursuant to Section (8).
14. Hearing Record
A. The "record" for a public hearing shall consist of all testimony or
comment presented at the hearing and all documents or exhibits
that have been submitted, according to these rules, in
connection with the matter being considered. Specifically, the
record shall include, but not limited to the following:
• Recordings of a hearing;
• The hearing agenda, attendance sheet(s), and the
Secretary's minutes;
• All final staff recorded testimony, presentations, documents,
maps, reports, memos, and other staff-produced evidence
submitted to the Commission to assist it make a decision or
recommendation regarding the agenda topic that is the
subject of the hearing subject matter;
• All submissions to the City by the proponent of the hearing
subject matter;
• The Planning Commission's findings of fact and formal
recommendation, and record of any other action taken by the
Commission;
• Any document publicly cited by the Commission or a
Commission member in connection with a decision or
recommendation.
B. Anyone wanting to submit into the record physical evidence (e.g.
documents, letters, photographs, maps) shall provide the
evidence to the Secretary. Persons may submit evidence by
email or other electronic means to:
Planning@auburnwa.gov
or by post mail to:
Secretary of the Planning Commission
Community Development Dept.
City of Auburn
25 West Main Street
Auburn, WA 98001-4998
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Additionally, a person may submit evidence into the record at the
public hearing. However, Commission members may not be
able to consider evidence that is submitted at the time of the
hearing. The Secretary will enter the evidence into the record
without the necessity of it being read into the record and shall
make note in the minutes that the evidence was entered.
Persons submitting evidence are discouraged from reading
verbatim the evidence at a hearing; they are encouraged rather
to summarize such evidence during testimony. It may not be
possible to copy evidence submitted at the time of a hearing. All
material submitted to the record by whatever means may be
subject to disclosure to the public under the Public Records Act,
RCW 42.56.
C. The Planning Commission will accept evidence into the record
prior to the date and time of the close of the public hearing. The
Commission may close the record at an earlier time upon
approval by a majority of the Commission. If the Commission
reopens a hearing, the record shall also be reopened to
submission of evidence. The Commission may accept evidence
into the record after close of a hearing if it has not already
adopted a recommendation or decision on the matter being
considered and if a majority of the Commission finds that the
Commission would substantially benefit from the material being
submitted into the record.
D. All evidence shall be suitable for copying for distribution (e.g. will
be legible and on paper not exceeding 8-1/2 x 14 inches in size,
except diagrams or drawings) and shall identify at the top of the
first page or on a cover sheet the date(s) of the public hearing,
the date the evidence was submitted, and the submitter's contact
information. All pages shall be consecutively numbered,
regardless of the number of different documents submitted. Any
submitted material proposing revisions to Auburn City Code shall
show the revisions by striking out the text proposed to be
removed from the code (e.g. for raccmpla) and underlining text
proposed to be added to the code (e.g. for example).
E. Submitted evidence must consist of less than 100 pages, unless
a majority of the Commission approves accepting submissions
exceeding that number. If the Commission does not approve, a
person submitting evidence exceeding this page number shall
have 3 business days from the close of the hearing to comply
with the page limit. Evidence submitted by the city is not subject
to this page limitation.
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F. All digital or electronic submissions shall be sent to the
Commission Secretary as an attachment to an email and may
not exceed 20 megabytes. The email shall state the hearing date
and topic that the digital documents regard. Submissions larger
than 20 megabytes shall be transmitted by a different electronic
method pre-arranged with the Secretary. The digital or
electronic evidence shall be in portable document format (PDF)
and otherwise meet the requirements for physical evidence (e.g.
consist of no more than 100 pages, be consecutively paginated,
etc.). No audio or video evidence will be accepted without prior
consent of a majority of the Commission. Evidence submitted by
email shall be considered received at the date and time the email
arrives in the Secretary's email box, or the date and time of a
delivery receipt if one is requested by the sender. If desired, it is
the sender's responsibility to remove metadata from digital
submissions.
Xl. PUBLIC COMMENT AND CONDUCT:
1. In any meeting when the Commission takes final action, the
Commission shall provide an opportunity for the submission of written
comment at or before its meeting and oral comment during the
meeting.
"Final action" means a collective positive or negative decision, or an
actual vote by a majority of Commission members on a motion,
proposal, resolution, or order.
2. Persons may address the Commission by filling out a speaker sign-in
sheet (available at the entrance to the room or from the staff) and
when recognized by the Chair, stepping to the podium, lectern, or table
designated by the Chair for speaking.
3. Public remarks will be limited to 3 minutes unless the Chair consents to
an extension of time. Speakers may not "donate" their speaking time
to others. Comments will be addressed to the Commission as a body
and not to individual commissioners.
4. Public comment at a meeting is reserved for topics that are not the
subject of a public hearing being conducted at that same meeting.
Persons may comment on public hearing topics at the time for
testimony during the public hearing.
5. Written public comments not submitted for a public hearing, shall be
submitted to the Secretary no later than 3 business days before the
meeting for which the comments will be distributed. Written comments
shall be limited to 1,000 words of 12-point font. Any related diagrams,
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pictures, or drawings will be limited to three pages. Once submitted,
the secretary shall distribute the written comments to the
commissioners for consideration.
6. These rules are intended to promote an orderly system of holding public
meetings and public hearings. Any person who causes a disruption by
making personal, impertinent or slanderous remarks or noises, by using
speech intended to incite fear of violence, by failing to comply with the
allotted time established for the individual speaker's public comment, by
yelling or screaming in a manner that prevents the Commission from
conducting the meeting, or by other disruptive conduct while addressing
the Commission at a public hearing may be barred from further
participation by the Chair, unless permission to continue is granted by a
majority vote of the Commission.
7. No comments shall be made from any other location other than the
podium, lectern or table set up for people to address the Commission at
a public hearing, unless approved in advance by the Chair, and anyone
making irrelevant, distracting, or offensive comments or noises that are
disruptive may be subject to removal from the meeting.
8. Demonstrations, disruptive applause, other disruptive behavior, or
audience interruption during anyone's presentation are prohibited. It is
distracting to the Commission, the audience, and persons testifying and
renders orderly conduct of the meeting unfeasible.
XII. CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
1. Any member of the Commission who in his or her opinion has an
interest in any matter before the Commission that would tend to
prejudice his or her actions shall publicly indicate, step down and leave
the meeting room until the matter is disposed. A member need only be
excused from legislative or organizational action if the potential conflict
of interest is direct and substantial.
A. No member of the Planning Commission may use his or her
position to secure special privileges or exemptions for himself,
herself, or others.
B. No member of the Planning Commission may, directly or
indirectly, give or receive or agree to receive any compensation,
gift, reward, or gratuity from a source except the employing
municipality, for a matter connected with or related to the
officer's services as such an officer unless otherwise provided for
by law.
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C. No member of the Planning Commission may accept
employment or engage in business or professional activity that
the officer might reasonably expect would require or induce him
or her by reason of his or her official position to disclose
confidential information acquired by reason of his or her official
position.
D. No member of the Planning Commission may disclose
confidential information gained by reason of the officer's position,
nor may the officer otherwise use such information for his or her
personal gain or benefit.
E. No member of the Planning Commission may take any action
that is prohibited by Chapter 42.23 RCW or any other statutes
identifying conflicts of interest.
2. Appearance of Fairness:
Commission members shall strive to follow, in good faith, the
Appearance of Fairness Doctrine as established under Washington
State Law as it applies to quasi-judicial decisions (RCW 42.36) even for
legislative actions before the Commission. The doctrine includes but is
not limited to the following:
A. Members shall avoid communicating in respect to any proposal
with any interested parties, other than staff, outside of public
hearings. Written communication from an interested party to a
member may be permitted provided that such communication is
made part of the record.
B. Members shall avoid drawing conclusions regarding decisions
until after the public hearing is closed.
C. Members shall avoid participating in decisions which affect their
or any family member's property, personal or business interest,
or organization.
D. Members shall avoid participating in decisions in which a
preconceived bias or conclusion has been formed in the mind of
the member prior to the hearing.
E. If any concern relating to Items A through D- should arise, the
affected member shall declare at the start of the public hearing
on the matter, the extent of such concern and whether the
member's decision has been influenced. If the member has
been influenced, or if the extent of the concern is significant, the
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member shall be excused by the Chair from the meeting room
and his vote recorded as an abstention.
If, under these rules, a quorum would be excused from the meeting, the
Chair in order to establish a quorum, shall under the rule of necessity,
permit sufficient members (beginning with those who are least affected
by these rules) to participate in the decision.
These rules are intended to be consistent with RCW 42.36. In the case
of any conflict, RCW 42.36 or applicable case law shall govern.
XIII. AMENDMENT:
The Rules of Procedure may be amended at any regular meeting of the
Commission by a majority vote of the entire membership. The proposed
amendment should be presented in writing at a preceding regular meeting. By
a two-thirds affirmative vote of the quorum present at a meeting, the
Commission may suspend the rules as authorized by Robert's Rules of Order,
except when such suspension would conflict with state law or city ordinance.
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