Gather ‘round, public watchdogs! Civil Grand Jury report season is upon us, and the first in this year’s batch just dropped. It examines the county’s weed permit processes and finds them lacking.
Quick refresher here: The Civil Grand Jury is an
independent body of 19 citizen volunteers. Sworn to secrecy, jurors do most of
their work behind closed doors, functioning as an instrument of the state court
system. Their duty: to investigate and report on the institutions of local
government, ensuring that public monies are being handled sensibly, that t’s
are being crossed and i’s dotted, etc. Basically, as the website puts it,
they seek to ensure “honest, efficient government in the best interest of the
people.”
Three cheers!
As noted above, the jury’s first report this year —
which carries the mildly snide title “Permitted (Eventually)” — relays its
findings from an investigation into Humboldt County’s permitting process for
commercial cannabis cultivation. In the course of its investigation, the jury
reviewed relevant rules, regulations and codes; interviewed county officials
and employees; explored the proprietary online permit management software used
by the county (Accela); conducted “internet research” and more.
Among the jury’s findings: As of January 2022, the
county had more than 900 pending cannabis permits, though many are amendments
to existing permits. According to the report, the permit applications get
handled on a “first-come first-served” basis.
Unfortunately, the report notes, the Accela
software employed by the county can’t accept credit card payments, which means
the public can’t use the software’s online application process. Another
shortcoming of the software as deployed: employees in the Public Works
Department are limited to responding to referrals from employees in the
Planning & Building Department.
The program does allow members of the public to
access and view the status of permit applications, though the Civil Grand Jury
report calls the process “cumbersome.”
The report also calls out a controversial
element of the county’s weed-grow permitting process — namely, that
applicants are allowed to “self-certify” that roads leading to their
cultivation sites meet the county’s Category 4 roadway standards, and this
self-certification is not always verified.
Ultimately, the report lists seven recommendations,
which we’ll paraphrase below:
- 1.
The
county should pay to upgrade the Accela system so applicants can complete the
application, including payment, online, thereby reducing the need for them to
physically come into the Planning and Building office.
- 2.
The
county should pay to improve Accela so that employees in Planning and Building
can complete more tasks, including reviews, calculations, permitting and
reporting.
- 3.
The
county should pay to “fully implement Accela to a level which enables Public
Works to meet its specific needs.” (This one is a bit redundant, perhaps.)
- 4.
In the
county’s Citizen Access Portal, the Planning and Building Department should
give the public specific instructions on how to search a location without
creating an account in Accela or contacting the Planning and Building staff.
- 5.
When the
Planning and Building Department gets notified that a state provisional license
has been approved or denied, staff should immediately act on the corresponding
interim cannabis permits.
- 6.
For
applications pending more than 30 days, the Planning and Building Department
should notify applicants what they need to do for approval.
- 7.
Before
the end of the year, Public Works employees need to conduct actual verification
that a roadway meets Category 4 requirements.
The county is not obliged to adopt the Civil Grand
Jury’s recommendations, but legally it does have to respond to the
report.
For this one, the Civil Grand Jury is requesting
responses from Planning and Building Department Director John Ford and Public
Works Department Director Thomas Mattson sometime in the next 60 days.
The jury is also requesting a response from the
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors within 90 days.
Lost Coast Outpost
BRyan
Burns
May 9, 2022
No comments:
Post a Comment