County moving ahead with growth policy
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
May 14, 2009
The Lincoln County commissioners moved last week toward ratifying a growth policy drafted over the past three years by the county planning board.
The commissioners voted Wednesday to enact a resolution of intent to adopt the policy but will not make a final decision until after a series of public hearings on the issue. The resolution passed by the commissioners specifies that after hearings in Libby, Troy and Eureka, a decision will be made on whether to adopt the policy as submitted, adopt it with revisions, or reject the policy. The hearings are expected to be scheduled for June.
The 152-page document is intended to be used to guide future policies such as subdivision regulations. Topics covered include population and economy, housing, land use, natural resources, public facilities, and local and social services.
The purpose of the policy is to help the public and elected officials identify goals and objectives, set priorities, and seek solutions to long term issues. The policy itself won’t bring forth any new regulations without a public review process.
Public hearings to gather input on the policy were held in March in Libby, Troy and Eureka. No changes were made to the draft policy following the hearings.
The draft policy can be obtained from the county planning department’s website at www.lincolncountymt.us/planning_dept.htm. For additional information, contact the Lincoln County Planning Office at 406-293-7781 extension 229.
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Editor’s Note: See the May 12, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, now on Tuesday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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