The public hearing for the South Suburban Sanitary District applications to apply recycled water (Class B or C) onto the land zoned EFU has been postponed until June 17, 2020 for the property off of North Poe Valley Road and June 23, 2020 for the properties off of Reeder Road.
“The decision to postpone these meetings was not easy. The Klamath County Board of Commissioners take great pride in the efficiencies in which the County is able to give landowners and developers decisions on land development applications. Klamath County is and remains a development friendly community. Although the County has been efficient in making land use decisions, it has never diminished the value of public input,” said Commissioner DeGroot.
With the Coronavirus, the Commissioners are forced to decide between a procedure that is efficient in rendering a decision, but with limited opportunities for public input, or a procedure that allowed for the maximum public input opportunities, but slows the rendering of the decision. The Commissioners decided to choose the path to allow for the maximum opportunities for public input, which includes a public hearing.
“It is the hope of the Commissioners, that by June, the restriction on the size of gatherings will be lifted and that everyone who wishes to testify in person can do so. If the restrictions on the size of gathering are still in place, the Commissioners will be again forced to decide on a different path,” said Commissioner Kelley Minty Morris.
“As a reminder, this is a proposal of the South Suburban Sanitary District, which is its own district and has its own elected board. The Board of County Commissioners and the Planning Commission are only able to weigh in on whether the proposal meets the specificity of the Planning Code and Oregon Land Use Laws. The Commissioners and the Planning Commission are not the creators of the proposal, nor able to weigh in with general support or lack of support for the plan,” explained Commissioner Donnie Boyd.
For additional questions, please contact Erik Nobel, Klamath County Planning Director at 541-883-5121 Option 4..