1. (1) A county governing body may authorize, by ordinance or order, the planning commission or hearings officer to conduct hearings on applications for plan amendments and to make decisions on such applications.
2. (2) A decision of the planning commission or hearings officer on a plan amendment may be appealed to the county governing body.
3. (3) This section shall apply notwithstanding the provisions of ORS 215.050, 215.060 and 215.110.
4. (4) A decision of a planning commission, hearings officer or county governing body under this section shall comply with the post-acknowledgment procedures set forth in ORS 197.610 to 197.625.

5. (5) This section does not apply to:

   1. (a) Any plan amendment for which an exception is required under ORS 197.732; or
   2. (b) Except as provided under subsection (6) of this section, any lands designated under a statewide planning goal addressing agricultural lands or forestlands.

6. (6)

   1. (a) If a county is acting on the remand of a decision from the Land Use Board of Appeals, the county governing body may authorize the planning commission or hearings officer to conduct hearings and make a decision under subsection (1) of this section for lands designated under a statewide planning goal addressing agricultural lands or forestlands.

   2. (b) The county governing body shall review a planning commission or hearings officer decision made under this subsection and shall:

      1. (A) Schedule a public hearing and issue a final decision on the application;
      2. (B) Leave the planning commission or hearings officer decision as the final county decision; or
      3. (C) Adopt the planning commission or hearings officer decision by consent order as the decision of the governing body.

[1987 c.729 §20; 2018 c.117 §1]