PORT ORCHARD — While the construction of a NASCAR facility in Kitsap County is a complicated process, county government will make an incremental step at a meeting scheduled for today.

As part of its regularly scheduled work study session at 8:30 a.m. in the Commissioners Chambers, the meeting will focus on the zoning of 950 acres of land earmarked for the racetrack that is adjacent to the South Kitsap Industrial Area (SKIA).

While anyone can attend the the meeting, no public testimony will be taken.

County employees say a change in zoning to allow the racetrack does not necessarily represent approval of the racetrack itself. Still, North Kitsap Commissioner Chris Endresen is approaching the issue carefully.

“We’re asked to make a zoning change before we have all of the product details,” she said.

Endresen is also against tying the 10-year comprehensive plan to the racetrack.

“It makes it very difficult because we need to have the comprehensive plan finished by the end of the year,” she said. “If we include the racetrack, then we will need to increase the number of hearings, and we’re already behind schedule.”

County Administrator Chris Gears said the approval process for the racetrack would be a long one, with chances for the public to provide input along the way.

Gears compared the racetrack project to a house that’s in a pre-construction stage.

“When you build a house, the first thing you do is get the financing in place,” he said. “Then you submit plans, file applications and permits, and do an environmental statement if necessary. We are now at the beginning of the process.”

In the meantime, International Speedway Corp. has weathered criticism that it is not entirely forthcoming about its intentions.

“I’m frustrated that we don’t have all the information together at one time and in one place,” Endresen said. “The commissioners, the taxpayers and the citizens deserve to have all the information before we make a decision. This hasn’t happened, and we’ve been looking at this long enough.”

Last year, the county came under fire for not reporting all contact with racetrack supporters. This resulted in a change of strategy. All of the county’s official contact with ISC is now accomplished between consultant Hugh Spitzer and the ISC lawyers.

For this reason, the communication is often unsatisfying for its failure to provide direct answers, which is one of Endresen’s primary concerns.

Spitzer presented some answers last week, advocating a larger Kitsap presence on the Public Speedway Authority that will manage the financing. ISC agreed. However, it could not be pinned down as to how its $166 million share would be earmarked, and whether preparation and lobbying costs would be included.

ISC has also asked for certain property tax exemptions, but is not specific whether this will cover the racetrack only or include the accompanying administrative structures.

Both sides claim public support for their viewpoints, making the public’s desires impossible to determine. With this in mind, the county plans to sponsor a detailed survey to determine the depth and breadth of support and opposition for the project.

Gears said the poll would be taken prior to the legislative session and would be conducted by a professional pollster rather than by the county itself in order to ensure credibility.

The results would then be used as a non-binding informational tool in order to help state and county legislators understand public opinion.

A direct vote about the issue is not likely, Gears said.

While the purpose of the poll is to gather information, Gears said the county is investigating the idea of instituting a “government-to-government” program where specific agencies would directly contact their counterparts in communities where racetracks currently operate. This follows a similar structure to another program earlier this year, where a citizen committee contacted people in other areas to determine lifestyle impact.

In his presentation last week, Spitzer said ISC was vague on some issues and specific on others. He recommended the county press for consistency, making one preference or another.

Gears takes direction from the commissioners so he does not have a preference but noted “if you don’t nail down certain things in advance and the project gains momentum, it will be hard to keep it from moving forward.”