16.10.100 Use of exemptions.
(1) Each Department that receives an application, or in the case of governmental proposals, the Department initiating the proposal, will forward the application to the responsible official for determination of whether the proposal is exempt. The determination that a proposal is exempt is final and not subject to administrative review. If a proposal is exempt, none of the procedural requirements of this chapter apply to the proposal. The City will not require completion of an environmental checklist for an exempt proposal.
(2) In determining if a proposal is exempt, the responsible official will make certain the proposal is properly defined and will identify the governmental licenses required (WAC 197-11-060). If a proposal includes exempt and nonexempt actions, the responsible official will determine the lead agency, even if the license application that triggers the responsible official’s consideration is exempt.
(3) If a proposal includes both exempt and nonexempt actions, the responsible official may authorize exempt actions prior to compliance with the procedural requirements of this chapter, except that:
(a) The responsible official will not give authorization for:
(i) Any nonexempt action;
(ii) Any action that would have an adverse environmental impact; or
(iii) Any action that would limit the choice of alternatives;
(b) The responsible official may withhold approval of an exempt action that would lead to modification of the physical environment, when such modification would serve no purpose if nonexempt action(s) were not approved; and
(c) The responsible official may withhold approval of exempt actions that would lead to substantial financial expenditures by a private applicant when the expenditures would serve no purpose if nonexempt action(s) were not approved. (Ord. 102-98 § 2)