These notes were taken by an Okanogan County Watch volunteer. Every attempt is made to be accurate. Notes are verbatim when possible, and otherwise summarized or paraphrased.
Note takers comments or clarifications are in italics. These notes are not the official county record of the meeting. For officially approved minutes, which are normally published at a later time, CLICK HERE.
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03.23.2026 Mon AM BOCC
Meeting Highlights:
Commissioner Hover says that the BOCC will interview David Yarnell (Undersheriff), Jody Barcus (Chief Criminal Deputy) and Michael Blake (owner and lead instructor of Stand Ready Training) to fill the office of County Sheriff. The current Sheriff, Paul Budrow, will leave his position in early April.
Pete Palmer, Planning Director, says that she’ll advertise an RFQ (Request for Quote) for a Critical Areas review. Commissioner Hover wants to make sure that whoever takes on the project knows that Okanogan County is a non-GMA (Growth Management Act), and so isn’t required to conform to the GMA.
Director Palmer and the commissioners also discuss potential ramifications of removing the Enloe Dam.
Four members of the Planning Commission urge the BOCC to create a county policy about the county’s use of drones. They would like the policy to be overarching but still allow for differences in uses by different departments. The Planning Commission also recommends that the county adopt a policy about its use Artificial Intelligence.
Meeting adjourned at 11:33.