The Okanogan County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on June 27, 2006, with Commissioner Andrew Lampe, Commissioner Mary Lou Peterson and Brenda Crowell, Clerk of the Board present. Chairman Don Hover will be in later in the day.

Update – Public Works
Frank Sautell and the Commissioners discussed the proposed county shop. He also provided a draft of the 6-year road improvement program. A public hearing has been scheduled for adoption of the plan. Commissioner Peterson stressed the need for improvements to the Bonaparte Lake Road and the Tonasket Airport Road.

Discussion
Mark Morris, Margaret Hartzel, Linda Fee

Margaret explained that the inventory of road less areas will be updated for the Wenatchee, Okanogan and Colville National Forests. There was a public comment period last September and October; as a result, there have been some shifts in boundaries.

Margaret provided examples of how the public input increased the net acreages for road less areas. Questions were asked by the Commissioners and Greg Wilder regarding who supplied the data for inclusion into the road less area. The reply was that detailed maps and comments that met the criteria were provided by only 2 agencies; Okanogan County and Conservation Northwest. Ted Murray explained that the county maps that were provided addressed the needed fire corridors and requested 1 to 1.5 miles of buffer zones. Harvest the timber and reduce the fuel loads. The Forest Management Plan is what needs to be addressed. Greg noted that depending upon what the next administration does, it could go back. Commissioner Peterson stated that this is the reason that these roads should not be added to the road less inventory. It did not include the national fire plan criteria. The manual is insufficient. It would have to go back to the national level. Comments need to be provided by September 1^st to the Forest Service on the inventory road less areas.

Motion - Consent Agenda
Commissioner Peterson moved to approve the consent agenda with the exception of item #4 pending further review. Motion was seconded and carried.