Flathead County commissioners selected interim Planning and Zoning Director BJ Grieve to fill the permanent director’s position this week.
Grieve took over as the planning and zoning department’s interim director in July after previous Director Jeff Harris’ contract was not renewed in April. He was selected out of nine possible candidates for the job, according to County Administrator Mike Pence.
As the new director, Grieve said one of his first priorities will be to fine-tune the inner workings of the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office.
“I think we are going to take some time to focus our efforts internally and improve process and improve consistency and predictability in the process,” Grieve said.
The office’s interim assessment work plan is part of this effort, he said, and is concentrated on improving efficiency, transparency and predictability at the county planning level.
Grieve, 33, came to the Flathead by way of Wisconsin, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geography at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He went on to earn his master’s degree in geography from East Carolina University. He joined the county planning office during the development boom six years ago.
One of the office’s current challenges is maintaining a budget, Grieve said. Application fees have dropped off since the housing and building boom ended, and planning staff numbers are down from 11.5 full-time employees to 6.5 full-time employees.
The planning office will finish the fiscal year and reassess budget issues at the end, Grieve said, though he noted the county commissioners saved money when they hired him.
“By hiring me, there’s a substantial benefit to the taxpayers,” Grieve said.
His former position as assistant director will go unfilled as a money-saving measure implemented by the county commissioners, and Grieve said his $62,500 is less than what the previous director made.
Grieve acknowledged that the planning director’s position is one of high scrutiny, but he said he already has good working relationships with many people in the Flathead and he plans to approach the job with an open mind and give honest answers, whether he and any given party agree or not.
“I try not to use personal opinions at all in my work; I try to be open-minded and listen to everybody,” Grieve said.
Grieve stressed that anyone with planning and zoning questions or concerns can call him at his office at 751-8200, or stop by to visit.