Frequently Asked Questions about Public
Hearings
What is the purpose of the Hearing?
Do I register to speak on an issue and then
present information to you or the applicant?
Who will be I be speaking to?
Will the hearing be recorded?
Will representatives from the applicant be
present?
Will I be able to ask the department and the
applicant questions?
How will my comments be used?
Are our comments and questions to be addressed by
the department later?
Must questions and comments be presented in
writing?
What is the time allotment for each commenter?
What happens after the close of the public
hearing?
How do I get copies of the written comments and
hearing recording?
How do I find out what the decision is?
What is the purpose of the Hearing?
The purpose of the hearing is fact finding about the proposed project.
We want to know what the people living in the area think about the
project.
Do I register to speak on an issue and then
present information to you or the applicant?
There will be sign-in sheets at the door. The sign-in sheets have two
purposes. First, they provide a roster of those attending the hearing.
Secondly they allow people to let us know who wants to speak during the
hearing. There is also a spot on the sign-in sheet to let us know if you
are in support or opposition of the application so if you don’t want to
speak you don’t have to. However, if you change your mind about speaking
you will be given an opportunity to speak later in the hearing. People
are called to speak in the order they signed up on the sign-in sheet.
The only exception is that we have the spokesperson for the applicant
follow the department’s opening.
Who will be I be speaking to?
You will be speaking to department staff. This is usually the analyst
assigned to evaluate the application.
Will the hearing be recorded?
Yes. All testimony is recorded. Copies are available upon request.
Will representatives from the applicant be
present?
Usually the applicant has one or more representatives present. However,
they are not required to be there.
Will I be able to ask the department and the
applicant questions?
There is a portion of the hearing set aside for people to ask the
applicant questions about the project. The applicant also may ask people
who have spoken questions. The purpose of this portion of the hearing is
to clarify information presented not to a debate the merits of the
proposed project or comments submitted.
The only questions that the department will answer are those regarding
process.
How will my comments be used?
Comments received at the hearing will be added to the application
materials, along with other information sent to the department during
the public comment period. This information is then considered as the
evaluation is written.
Are our comments and questions to be addressed by
the department later?
Your comments, along with other information received by the department
are considered as the department evaluates the application. We don’t
respond individually to those speaking or submitting written comments.
Must questions and comments be presented in
writing?
No. You are not required to submit your comments in writing. However you
encouraged to do so for two reasons. First, each person speaking has a
limited amount of time. Second, we recognize some people will have more
the say than others. There is no limit to how much written comment
someone submits.
What is the time allotment for each commenter?
Each person is limited to 3 minutes. This limitation is to ensure
everyone has a chance to speak that wants to and to be fair to everyone.
What happens after the close of the public
hearing?
Public comment period ends at 5 pm on the day of the hearing. The
following10 working day period is for the applicant and those meeting
the “affected person” definition in our rules to provide rebuttal
comments. These comments may be in response to comments made at the
public hearing or received by the department prior to the 5 pm deadline.
At the end of this rebuttal period, the department accepts no
unsolicited information.
How do I get copies of the written comments and
hearing recording?
Anyone may request a copy of the hearing recording, written comments,
rebuttal comments, and decision. If these copies exceed 50 pages there
is a 15 cent per page charge.
How do I find out what the decision is?
The written evaluation is due 45 days following the close of the
rebuttal period.
You may make a written request to be sent a copy of the decision when it
is released. That request should be sent to:
Department of Health
Certificate of Need Program
Mail Stop 47852
Olympia, WA 98504-7852
The decision will also be posted to our webpage when it is released.
That address is:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/FSL/CertNeed/Decisions.htm
Add'l details regarding these hearings should be
directed to the program at 360-236-2955 or
fslcon@doh.wa.gov.
