Growth policy placed on November ballot
by ANTHONY QUIRINI - Ravalli Republic
It’s official.
This November Ravalli County voters residing outside of municipalities will decide whether the county’s growth policy will be repealed.
The proponents of the referendum successfully landed the necessary amount of signatures required to place the measure on the November 2008 ballot.
If voters opt to repeal the growth policy, any zoning other than interim or “emergency” could not be adopted.
Currently, the county is in the middle of a countywide zoning effort and more zoning - such as streamside setbacks and U.S. 93 corridor zoning is coming down the pike.
“I think what this really shows is that the majority of people in the valley aren’t for the zoning effort,” the petition’s originator Dan Cox of Conner said. “Now the peoples’ voice will be heard and we will have a vote.”
Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg said the signature drive was one of the quickest she’s seen.
“I think the biggest thing is that this came in at kind of the last minute,” she said. “Within two weeks they had enough signatures. That’s pretty impressive for a hometown effort.”
The proponents of the measure needed 3,567 signatures for the measure to qualify for November’s ballot. They landed 3,588 in just a little more than two weeks.
Cox originated the referendum measure to stop all zoning in Ravalli County.
County commissioners gave Darby rural voters the opportunity to decide whether they wanted to be included in the zoning effort in June. Those voters overwhelmingly voted against the zoning, 953-311.
The commission didn’t allow the rest of the county’s rural voters the same opportunity.
“It just goes to show that it is not just Darby that wanted to vote on this,” Cox said.
The commission originally had intended to adopt zoning countywide by this November - the date the county’s sole interim zoning ordinance expired. The commission pushed back the deadline beyond that date. Many citizens and the commission have concerns that the county’s planning department could be inundated with subdivisions once the interim zoning expires.
If voters repeal the growth policy, the countywide zoning effort will be stopped cold and the county couldn’t adopt another growth policy for two-years, according to Montana law.
Reader's Comments >>
Madman wrote on Aug 12, 2008 2:12 PM:
What an insult to all the citizens who worked so hard to implement the Growth Policy. But Greg Chilcott and his rich buddies figured out a "Silver Bullet" which will make zoning a non-issue for the next two years, leave the county without ANY growth guidlines and open the door for an onslaught of subdivisions. Evil eventually shows it's Ugly Face and it has been revealed for all to see, right here, right now! "
John Mills wrote on Aug 7, 2008 3:09 PM: