East Washingtonian - Your Hometown News Source

POMEROY–The Garfield County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) announced an awarded grant, approved an agreement, and discussed exempting agriculture buildings from permits at their meeting on November 27.

A Washington State Fairground Improvement grant was awarded for replacing the grandstands at the Garfield County Fairgrounds. The grant will cover the $6,700 cost of the bleachers and the county will provide a 30% match in the form of Garfield County Public Works labor for the removal of the old bleachers and installation of the new. The replacement is due to safety concerns.

The BOCC approved an agreement with Civic Plus for hosting the county's .gov website. The cost of the hosting will be $3,154, and the agreement will become active when the website is created. There is still some work to be done before the website is ready.

Stan Warren approached the board with a request that Garfield County exempt agricultural buildings from permitting according to the Building Code. There is some precedent for this request, as several counties have made similar exceptions. In Washington State, counties can make exceptions for building types as they see fit. This exemption would not be a license to do whatever the owner wants, as other regulations such as setback and electrical inspections would still apply. The request was left open for conversation and further investigation into the county's liability regarding exempted buildings.