Justice delayed is justice denied

Justice delayed is justice denied.

That old adage from the legal community applies today in Thurston County and the Thurston County Commissioner’s efforts to stop a local business from expanding.

The maxim says that failure to proceed in a timely fashion is tantamount to providing no justice at all.

I quote that legal refrain in relationship to the efforts of Lakeside Industries to add recycling of asphalt to their asphalt plant in the Nisqually Valley.  In order to do so, they need to get a change in their operating permit.

The County Commissioners have failed to act on the request citing lack of staff and other priorities for the time of the county planning commission.

The request for a hearing has languished for more than a year while the county finds reasons not to even schedule a public hearing on the matter.

Lakeside has even offered to pay the county for additional staffing so they can have a hearing on the request, but the county refuses to move.

This is a similar situation to the recent court action when the Port of Tacoma sued the county for requiring unnecessary environmental studies for gravel mining in Maytown – – even though mining permits had already been issued.

The county lost in court and Thurston County taxpayers are on the dime for a multi-million dollar judgement against the county commissioners.

Mining and asphalt production may not be the types of businesses the county commissioners want for Thurston County – – but the businesses are legal and have the right to be heard.

Lakeside wants to expand its operation and wants a hearing, but the commissioners have delayed and delayed and delayed the request hoping that Lakeside will give up.  That’s similar to what they did in Maytown and it cost taxpayers $12 million dollars.

I don’t know if recycling asphalt is something I would want in Nisqually Valley and along the Nisqually River – – but, until we have a public hearing and all the facts are presented – – I don’t know for sure.

Our county commissioners seem determined to keep certain businesses out of the county, but using illegal methods is not the way this body should act.

We should really expect our commissioners to follow the law – – or vote them out.

We shouldn’t have to pay more legal judgements.