It’s a matter of interpretation

Editor:

 I read with interest the article written by Dylan Brown about planning and

zoning issues. Mr. Brown, however, has seemed to taken liberty with the facts. He stated that “In zone A1 no dwelling shall be sold, transferred or built with less than twenty (20) acres of lot area” unless they are

“original parcels,” … This is the interpretation of the code that former PA Delton Walker, the P & Z board and two of the commissioners have tried to shove down our throats for the past several years. However, it is not what the code says.

 A local citizens’ group, concerned with this skewed interpretation of the code and its effect on rural landowners, hired Gary Allen, the premier land use attorney in our state, to objectively advise on how the current county code addresses building permitting. He concluded that, in his expert opinion, that that interpretation was incorrect concerning building permits on lots over 20 acres and that the county was open to lawsuits. The county had been warned.

 Fast forward to today. The county is facing a major lawsuit, along with several individuals who continued to control any building to their own whims, rather than adhere to the code as written. Holding onto their power rather than serving the county seems to be the goal and so they are putting out these false narratives. I regret that Dylan Brown and the Signal American have fallen for their line. Many on the Planning and Zoning committee are also guilty of abusing their unelected position and demanding to continue to misapply the code. I applaud County Attorney True Pearce for calling out the misconduct by the P & Z and commissioners who are looking out for their own self interests and have put the county at financial risk.

Mikal Smith

Midvale, Idaho