At a Feb. 5 land use hearing, Bonner County Board of Commissioners Chair Brian Domke admitted that the county is not “able to currently locate” the official zoning district map, adopted by the BOCC in 2022, and is operating with the version adopted in September 2010.
As required by Bonner County Revised Code, the board and Planning Department will need to adopt a new map going forward if staff cannot locate the current version.
“Our civil counsel [Nate Adams, of the Prosecutor’s Office] indicated his opinion to me was that, because the county relies on ordinances that get passed for each individual zone amendment or zone change, that essentially, we have whatever prior map that’s available, plus every ordinance that’s been used to make a zone change since that time — essentially a series of amendments to the zoning to rely on,” said Domke, adding that Adams “didn’t have a concern” about “being able to currently locate an assigned 2022 map.”
The zoning and land use designations as shown by the Bonner County GIS public map. The majority of the information’s effective date is listed as Dec. 5, 2008
BCRC 12-310 stipulates that the county shall keep both a physical and an electronic copy of the zoning district map, continuously updating it to reflect any amendments to zone classifications or boundaries, and adding each respective “file number, ordinance number and effective date.”
Should the map become “damaged, destroyed, lost or difficult to interpret because of the nature or number of changes and additions,” BCRC 12-312 stipulates that the board must pass a resolution to adopt a new official zoning map to replace it. Adopting the replacement does not constitute an amendment, meaning the new version must be essentially the same as the previous map, though the county can fix any “errors and omissions.”
The BOCC regular Feb. 10 business meeting initially included the agenda item, “Adoption of a Replacement Official Zoning Map,” which commissioners voted to remove at the request of the Planning Department. Neither the BOCC nor planning staff gave a reason for removing the item.
When asked if staff were still looking for the 2022 official zoning map, or if the county had plans to host public meetings on the adoption of a new map, Interim Planning Director Alex Feyen told the Reader Feb. 11, “I’m not going to comment on that at this time.”
Domke did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.
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