It’s no secret that neighborhood plans are a contentious issue in the Flathead, often taking years to work out and sometimes resulting in litigation and explosive public meetings. Now, after several months of meetings, officials feel the process is on its way to being clearer, simpler and more effective.
During a Nov. 19 meeting, the commissioners and officials from the planning office discussed 11 possible steps to the county’s neighborhood planning process. The steps have been in the works for months after the commissioners asked for clarification about when the planning office can begin using county resources to assist with a potential plan.
“In reality, what we have in place (now) in my mind has been a failure,” Commissioner Joe Brenneman said.
But both the planning office and the commissioners said they were still looking for simpler solution. And during the last 10 minutes of last month’s meeting, it looked as though they may have found at least one.
It would be a subtle change in the process: If people in a community decide they want to start a neighborhood plan, they would approach the county commissioners before asking the planning office for help.
Currently, the Flathead County Growth Policy does not specifically outline the point at which the planning office should get involved with a potential neighborhood plan.
This ambiguity has caused problems in the past, specifically with the proposed Somers Neighborhood Plan, when several landowners accused the county of improper and unwarranted involvement in a plan only a few people wanted. The planning office said their involvement at that point of the process was only to determine how many people would be interested in the plan by holding public meetings.
Commissioner Jim Dupont said the current system is confusing and is subject to allegations that the county is pushing neighborhood plans on its communities.
“That’s where the issues are popping up,” Dupont said.
The new approach would ensure that the neighborhood plan is community driven, said Flathead Count Planning Director Jeff Harris. People interested in pursuing a plan would have to talk to their neighbors and get support, then approach the commissioners for permission to spend county dollars on research and community outreach.
“All of the work we would do initially would not be to develop the plan, it would be to gather the information and gauge support,” Harris said.
Flathead residents could still visit the planning office and ask questions, Harris said, but once a group approaches requesting help with a neighborhood plan, the planning office would steer them to the commissioners. The commissioners could then consult the planning office’s schedule or make a decision based on funding, Harris said.
Dupont acknowledged that the change might bring more heat on the commissioners from those who are adamantly against neighborhood plans all together.
“There are people who don’t want intervention of the government to tell them what to do with their property,” Dupont said. But the commissioner’s initial authorization would only be for research and notifying residents in the affected areas that a plan is being proposed, not for instant development, he added.
“If we have to spend a few dollars to send a letter to people who are being affected by these changes, it should be done,” Dupont said. “I think at least we’re basically on the right track.”
The planning office is currently working with the county attorney’s office to check if the growth policy would need to be updated if the Flathead County Planning Board and the commissioners accept the change. Similar authorization processes are used in Missoula, Gallatin and Yellowstone counties, according to the planning office.
The other 11 amendments are still on the table for discussion, Dupont said. They include steps a community would have to complete in the neighborhood planning process and will be discussed when the latest changes are brought before the planning board. The date for that meeting has not yet been determined.