The BCWD regulatory review process included a facilitated partner meeting held November 21, 2024; a presentation and discussion of initial recommendations with the Board on January 8, 2025; and a second facilitated partner meeting on April 4, 2025. Participants were asked to consider the three components of the regulatory program when providing feedback in the facilitated meetings: rules, processes, and outreach and information.
Key Themes
Three themes emerged during the first meeting and the synthesis of the feedback, and a fourth theme emerged after the second partner meeting:
- The BCWD regulatory program should be transparent, efficient, equitable, consistent, and not unduly complicated.
- The BCWD regulatory program should protect and improve the resource and properties in the district, and there should be accountability.
- Communication is critical, should be consistent, and should lead to improved engagement and understanding with the public, partners, permittees, and other specific audiences including engineers representing permittees and the business community.
- BCWD should collaborate with other entities including neighboring watershed districts, cities, counties, and private partners to improve its programs.
Recommendations
Recommendations were brought to the board of managers in January 2025 for direction. After receiving additional feedback from partners on a few, these recommendations are in various stages of implementation. The recommendations include:
Rules
- Prepare for future rule revisions
- Identify opportunities in the rules to increase administrator/Board’s ability to provide flexibility without increasing the number of variances
- Begin rule revision process after the watershed management plan is completed
- Look for opportunities for regional solutions
Processes
- Develop and implement a process for follow-up on closed projects, additional inspections, and enforcement
- Identify and implement strategies to improve “handoff” from developers and HOAs
- Look for opportunities for regional solutions
- Assess the viability of an application portal and electronic payment process
- Review permit fee structure to ensure they are clearly communicated and equitable
- Review the current appeals process and assess opportunities to improve the process, timeline, and communication; ensure that applicants are provided with information on the appeals process
Outreach & Information
- Work to engage engineers by hosting ongoing engineering workshops/meetings
- Increase Outreach Opportunities
- Develop guidance documents for permittees and potential permittees
- Update website with more information on the regulatory program
- Include the regulatory program in annual reports & newsletters
- Provide opportunities for diverse audiences to join or participate in BCWD’s boards and committees