Mark Thursday, the 23rd on your calendars, 6:30pm. The Courthouse is the jumpin’ place to be that night. Spread the word.
The agenda for the Zoning Committee meeting just hit. I’ve posted it to the “County Meetings” part of the site (click HERE for a copy of the agenda). It has a lot of agenda items that bear public comment. Yes, it’s the same “Public Hearing and Meeting” type meeting so the first agenda item is an opportunity for people to speak. It’s a giant agenda and includes a number of items relevant to the frac sand debate. Here’s the list, with frac-sand related stuff highlighted in red:
23-February – 6:30pm – 3rd Floor Board Room – Zoning Committee — Public Hearing and Meeting. Meeting will cover:
- Public comments regarding items listed on the agenda
- Report & recommendation to County Board of Supervisors: “An Ordinance to Amend the Buffalo County Zoning Ordinance Creating a Reduced Setback Overlay District”
- Report & recommendation to County Board of Supervisors: “An Ordinance to Amend the Buffalo County Zoning Ordinance Permitting Adult Entertainment”
- Review/Discussion/Action of “A Resolution to Adjust the Conditional Use Permit Fee for Nonmetallic Mines in Buffalo County”
- Review/Discussion/Action of “A Resolution to Create a Review Fee for Nonmetallic Mines in Buffalo County”
- Review/Discussion/Action of “A Resolution to Create a Zoning Intern Position for the Spring, Summer and Fall Semesters of 2012”
- Review/Discussion/Action of Board of Adjustment 2nd Alternate appointment
- Review/Discussion/Action of Comprehensive Plan status
- Review/Discussion/Action of Zoning Committee/Department Structure
- Review/Discussion/Action of Board of Adjustment Procedures
An editorial comment: I’d SUPPORT a lot of things on this list (of course, I don’t have copies of the resolutions so it’s hard to be specific — I wish they’d publish those along with the agenda).
I support the “review fee” idea — the zoning staff is WAY overloaded by this stuff and so getting them some resources is a Good Thing in my view
I like the idea of a higher conditional use fee for frac sand mines (although that one is tricky because there are lots of “normal” non-metallic mines that could be unfairly hit by that unless the rules are crafted carefully).
I support the idea of an intern, again to help with the work
I want to hear what’s said about the 2nd alternate, since this person may be a decision-maker in future BOA rulings — it would be nice to see some strong candidates who have a broad understanding of the issues. And, frankly, are a little more inquisitive than the people who are there now.
I want to hear about the Comprehensive Plan, because there may be a way to get some regional land-use planning done. I may whip up some testimony supporting inclusion of frac sand mining in the comprehensive planning process — and maybe a moratorium until that process is complete.
I want to hear about the department structure and BOA procedures, because both of those need beefing up in my view.
Bring your popcorn, this looks to be a long, meaty meeting.