Lacey to amend policies on ‘really out of date’ land use hearing examiner system

Lacey’s Land Use and Environment Committee unanimously voted to recommend the proposed amendments to the city’s land use hearing examiner system to the city council.

Lacey Planning and Development Services Manager Grant Beck said the Lacey Municipal Code (LMC) 2.30, which tackles the Land Use Hearing Examiner system, was introduced in 1979 when the Thurston Regional Planning Council provided planning and land use permitting services to Lacey, which is now outdated with current practices.

“The code citations were really, really out of date and needed to be updated,” said Beck during the committee meeting on June 27.

Among the key changes in the proposal is updating the appointment process for the hearing examiner.

Beck said that under the proposed amendment, the mayor can now appoint the hearing examiner, which will then be confirmed by the city council, removing references to a joint hearings examiner committee established with Olympia and Thurston County.

The proposed amendment, Beck said, would update broad code and ordinance citations to be specific to the Lacey Municipal Code. It would also update provisions related to coordinating with the Planning Commission, as it no longer holds that role.

Councilmember Robin Vazquez asked why the proposed amendment does not include preventing elected public officials from becoming hearing examiners.

Beck said they did not include it in the code because it is considered an “automatic conflict of interest.”