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Task force update & Key dates

5/20/2021

Task Force Update & Key Dates

Dear STRACC Supporter,

This email contains important updates on the county’s STR task force and code development process, our upcoming members meeting, proposed amendments to STRACC’s bylaws, and STRACC board elections.

Key Dates
We strongly recommend that all STR supporters join the following 2 events:

BoCC meeting: Tuesday May 11, 10:15 am
The Commissioners will be reviewing the consensus task force report and likely signaling their intention to adopt or modify its recommendations. See task force update below. It is important for STRACC supporters to sign in and identify themselves (via their screen name or STRACC logo, for example) as an STR supporter. Public comment will not be taken at this meeting, but we want to make our presence known. https://zoom.us/j/650411499

STRACC Members Meeting & Board Elections: Thurs May 20, 8:00 pm
Please plan on joining this if you are a STRACC member and consider joining STRACC if you're not. We will send the link a couple days before the meeting. Be sure to sign in with your full name as we will be limiting participation to STRACC members.

Task Force Update
The report documenting the task force process and consensus recommendations was sent to the BOCC on Friday May 7. Contrary to previous plans, the final report was not shared with the task force members. As such, the following is based on summary notes, and represents the best information we have at this time. We expect to see the final task force report when the BOCC presents it in their meeting on Tuesday May 11.

The task force’s consensus recommendations would eliminate the most egregious forms of overreach from the December draft code. They represent a significantly better outcome for STR owners and operators in most respects. Specifically:

There are reasonable provisions for grandfathering and transferability for established STR operators. If you were operating in the year before the moratorium and paid your taxes, you should be eligible for grandfathering.
The lottery and sunset period are gone.
The cap on the allowable percentage of STRs is higher than in the December draft code.
Tier 2 STRs would be allowed in all zones including RW and RV, which contain many STRs but were excluded from the December draft code.

It’s not all good news. For example, new STRs will face limitations including a 200 foot separation distance from other existing STRs, similar to measures enacted in other jurisdictions such as Cle Elum (250 feet) or Pacific County (300 feet). Future STRs would only be allowable on parcels meeting the minimum lot size standard for the zone they are in. Perhaps most importantly for existing operators, occupancy limits will be tied to septic system capacity.

The next step in the code development process is for the BOCC to officially review the task force report at their May 11 meeting. After that, it will likely be at least two weeks for county staff and consultants to prepare a revised version of the draft code. The BOCC will likely hold a workshop to review that code, and then post it for public comment. They can hold a public hearing two weeks after posting the draft code, and then can take a vote on the code. STRACC members should plan on remaining active throughout this period so we can continue to make sure the BOCC hears our voices.

Members Meeting
Thursday May 20, 8:00 PM.
We have delayed our members meeting by one week, from May 13 to May 20. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes, but the change was necessary for two primary reasons.

First, we plan to provide members with a briefing on the content of the task force report at the meeting. Since the county has delayed the release of the report, even to task force members, we need to have time to review it thoroughly in advance of our meeting.

Second, we are planning to hold elections for STRACC board member positions at this meeting. We want to make sure that any members interested in running for a seat on the board have the opportunity to put forward their names and vision for STRACC’s priorities.

STRACC Board Elections
STRACC needs you!

STRACC board members serve terms of two years. Responsibilities include working to advance the interests of STR owners and operators and facilitating best practices among STR operators. Board members participate in regular meetings with the full board, and undertake work individually and collaboratively via committees.

STRACC members are encouraged to nominate themselves or other members for board positions by replying to this email. Nominees should provide a short statement (200 word maximum) supporting their nomination. They may wish to highlight their qualifications and fit for the board, how they see themselves contributing, and their vision for STRACC’s priorities over the next two years. These statements will be shared with STRACC membership ahead of the meeting.

Several board positions already have nominees already. Nominations are welcomed for all positions. Current nominations:

Chair: Hernan Savastano
Vice chair: Denae’ Poss
Secretary: Don MacKenzie
Treasurer: Zelda Holgate
Leavenworth at-large: Justin Gere
Leavenworth at-large: Open
Chelan at-large:Joni Fisher
Chelan at-large: Carissa Reid
County at-large: Open
Affiliate (non voting): Open

Bylaw Changes
The Board is recommending two amendments be made to STRACC’s bylaws. The proposed text is attached.

The first change would create separate Board positions of Secretary and Treasurer, instead of the current Secretary/Treasurer role. This will provide for a more even division of labor and reflects lessons learned from STRACC’s operations over the past two years.

The second change would add the Legal Chair as a full Board member. This change would recognize the important role that the legal chair has played and will continue to play in STRACC’s decision making going forward.

The third and fourth changes would authorize membership and board meetings, respectively, to be conducted electronically on an ongoing basis.

The final change is to correct what appears to be an erroneous find-replace that replaced "may" with "March" in two places in our original bylaws.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to seeing you in the BOCC meeting this Tuesday and the STRACC members meeting on Thursday May 20.

Thank you for your support,
The STRACC Executive Board

Copyright © 2019 STRACC, All rights reserved.
https://www.straccwa.org

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