The County established procedures for early and continuous public participation soon after passage of the Growth Management Act. Consistent with the phasing of plans required by the Act, the County first concentrated on measures to conserve resource lands and protect critical areas, then focused on County-wide Planning Policies, urban growth areas, and finally comprehensive plans. The development of proposals and opportunity for comment followed this sequence.

Many of the County’s plan elements have been developed through citizen advisory committees, either special task forces or standing committees like the County Planning Commission and Shorelines and Sensitive Areas Committee. In the western parts of the County, a new regional planning commission was appointed jointly with the City of Forks and community councils in Joyce and Clallam Bay-Sekiu were established.

The County has reached out to citizens and landowners through various means to ensure that proposals and alternatives reach the affected parties. Prior to any work getting accomplished, the County held public workshops in all three cities to outline the requirements of the Growth Management Act and the ways in which the County proposed to solicit feedback. Workshops and early neighborhood meetings have been regularly scheduled on plan proposals and development regulations prior to public hearings and adoption.

The County has used the various news media to also reach audiences. Television, newspaper and radio spots have been continuous throughout the process. One regional plan used live television for getting the information out. The County has prepared brochures for handing out to the public, published a regular newsletter identifying issues and opportunities for input, and delivered direct mailings on proposed growth management elements.

The Comprehensive Plan has also been developed on two tiers: County-wide and regionally. This approach was chosen not only because the land use issues varied so greatly between the regions, but also because the plans and opportunities for open discussion of the issues would be more detailed. This approach has been very successful, as the regional comprehensive plans have received considerable attention from the citizens within that region.

The citizens of Clallam County recognize mining as an important part of the local and regional economy. In recognition of its importance, and in order to modernize those sections of the Comprehensive Plan and the related development regulations relating to the extraction of mineral resources as well as comply with a Growth Board remand, Community Development (“DCD”) proposed and the County Commissioners approved a seven-step Public Participation Plan or “PPP” in mid-2019. To implement the PPP, staff created a Mineral Resource Lands website containing a survey for citizens to complete. Notice of four regional meetings was mailed to more than 1,000 landowners, primarily anyone who owns land within 1,000 feet of an existing surface mine. Those meetings were advertised some 10 to 14 days before their scheduled date in local newspapers such as the Forks Forum. DCD then conducted those regional meetings, each lasting two hours, in Forks, Port Angeles, Sequim and Clallam Bay. These workshops were attended by approximately 80 individuals. The County received some 30 comments during the time when the proposal was before the Planning Commission. In addition, from June 2019 to July 2020, the Planning Commission held approximately 15 public meetings where MRL was discussed and public comments were received. Some of the edits and additions suggested by the public were included in the proposed text sent to the County Commission. A list of “interested parties,” some 25 in all, received notice of every Planning Commission meeting and the related proposals. This public outreach process included having Rian Skov, a geologist with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Geology and Earth Resources Section, attend the Planning Commission meeting on February 5, 2020. The County learned its existing text regarding mineral resource lands needed augmentation and intends to adopt more thorough text on this topic into its Comprehensive Plan and development regulations by the end of 2020. The Planning Commission discussed and reviewed proposed changes to the development regulations and the Comprehensive Plan in its April and May 2020 meetings. A public hearing, properly noticed, was held before the Planning Commission on July 1, 2020, and on July 20, 2020, the Planning Commission sent the proposed text to the County Commission recommending approval. The County Commission held two work sessions on the proposed text in August 2020 and held a properly noticed public hearing on September 29, 2020, which was extended to October 13, 2020. Adoption of the changes by the County Commission occurred on November 10, 2020.