Lack of Public Input Concerning…

Dear Editor,

Our county commissioners are proposing a significant change in the regulations for subdividing land in Bonner County from “Ag 20 to Ag 5.” This may sound good in theory, allowing people with larger tracks of land to sell some of it and make a little extra money, but what’s the big hurry? I would venture to guess that because Mr. Sudick lost in the primary he’s pushing through his agenda of less government regulations before he leaves office. What will Bonner County look like cut into parcels 5 acres or less–more people, roads, traffic, accidents, noise, pollution, construction, wells, septic systems and emergency services? All of this “more” will result in less farmland, trees, wildlife, ground water and serenity.

The P& Z has been left out of the process and there will be only one public hearing in the middle of the day in Sandpoint on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 1:00 pm. This will exclude many people from their right to due process because they can’t get off work. If the commissioners really wanted to hear from the public, they would have multiple meetings in different locations during daytime and evening hours in order to accommodate the most people; instead they are minimizing public input. This style of government reflects authoritarianism rather than democracy.

Gail Bolin 
Sagle

While we have you ...

... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.

You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.

Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal

You may also like...

Close [x]

Want to support independent local journalism?

The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned, in a partnership between Publisher Ben Olson and Keokee Co. Publishing, the media company owned by Chris Bessler that also publishes Sandpoint Magazine and Sandpoint Online. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.