Critical Areas Committee, August 17, 2006

Thursday, August 17 was the second meeting of the Critical Areas Committee, and the main topic of the evening was the agricultural exemption and related topics concerning farming and its relationship to critical areas.

The Jefferson County Conservation District's Al Latham provided a presentation on the ongoing agricultural best management practices planning process, which recently won a state award.  He also answered several questions from the committee on a wide range of questions about agriculture in the context of critical areas.  

There was broad agreement among the members of the committee that the agricultural exemption as written into the draft ordinance update is too narrow, and that it leaves new agricultural activities, such as subsistence/lifestyle farming without an opportunity to really become viable in Jefferson County.  The ability to purchase locally grown food at the farmers market, the Co-Op, and other venues around the county is seen as one of the values that makes Jefferson County the kind of place that it is, and a quality of life issue for a broad cross-section of the community.

A recent Washington Supreme Court decision concerning what constitutes a change in agricultural practices also appears to further restrict what may be done under the provisions of the ordinance update as currently drafted.

Based on the discussion, staff will prepare information for next meeting that will help the committee move forward with suggested modifications for how agriculture is defined in context with the critical areas ordinance.  The intent is to provide opportunity for new agricultural operations to become viable as soon in their life cycle as possible, and to remain viable for the long term.  There is also a need for better definition of the types of farming that are being conducted in Jefferson County beyond the traditional types of agriculture that were considered in the previous version of the ordinance.

Al Scalf, director of the Department of Community Development, asked that committee members begin sending in recommended findings of fact, so that a list of potential findings can be generated for incorporation with the next draft of the critical areas ordinance update.  These findings will help provide a basis for understanding the provisions of the ordinance when it is approved and published.

The level of expertise and the professional manner in which the discussions are taking place is encouraging.  The people around the table are committed to producing the best product possible, even though the timeline is very short.  Those who have attended as observers have also brought some excellent thoughts into the work being done, and their contributions are much appreciated. 

Meetings take place every Thursday evening at 7 p.m., and all are welcome.