Governor signs Haugen bill to shrink government

The state will save money and resources by combining the state’s three regional Growth Management Hearings boards into a single seven-member board as a result of legislation signed into law today by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Senate Bill 6214 sponsored by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, will shrink the overall number of board members, saving $220,000 in salaries and benefits while also reducing overhead and administrative costs.

“These boards have done their job well, but times have changed and we can now manage with less,” Haugen said. “What’s impressive about this is that it was the members themselves who suggested the reductions, even though it cost some of them their positions. This is a classic case of public servants whose priority is good government.”

Under the guidelines for the new single board:

• Each board member must have experience in land use law or planning.

• Petitions to the new board will be considered by one of three regional subpanels made up of three board members who reside within the region relevant to the petition.

• Members are appointed by the governor to six-year terms from three specified regions in the state, with two members each from the Central Puget Sound area, Eastern Washington and Western Washington.

• At least three members of the board, one from each region, must be admitted to practice law in the state.

• At least three members of the board, one from each region, must have been a county or city elected official. After the expiration of the terms of the board members who serve prior to the consolidation, no more than four members of the consolidated board may be members of the same major political party.

• No more than two members at the time of their appointment or during their term may reside in the same county.

• The Central Puget Sound regional panel will decide matters pertaining to King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties.

• The Eastern Washington regional panel will decide matters pertaining to the planning jurisdictions east of the crest of the Cascade Mountain range.

• The Western Washington regional panel will decide matters west of the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range that are not included in the Central Puget Sound region.