Questioning the Growth Policy

To the Editor:

I liked the letter Wayne Hirst wrote "Are countywide building permits necessary?" in the July 25 Western News. The one thing I would like to point out is Wayne Hirst bought into the first smoke screen the county was using; that the growth planning is state mandated.

In the April 12th issue of the Tobacco Valley News on the front page was a story which stated:

"County officials conceded last week that the growth policy commissioners specifically formed a planning board to develop is in fact an option under state law rather than a mandate from state lawmakers.

In public meetings leading up to last March's formation of a county-wide planning board and as recently as one week before the April 5 open house in Eureka, commissioners repeatedly portrayed the development of a growth policy as a mandate by the state.

But that's not so, conceded Mary Klinkham, the head of Lincoln County's planning department." To read the story on the web you can find it at: http://www.eurekamt.info/2007_04_01_archive.html .

In the June 28 issue of the Tobacco Valley News is a letter to the editor titled "Public vote now on growth plan unwise." The writer was identified as Rick James, vice president of the Lincoln County Planning Board. Rick James stated "… and there will be a growth plan in Lincoln County per mandate of the Lincoln County commissioners."

After attending a few of the Growth planning meeting I have a few unanswered questions. If the homes are grouped together on half acre lots do the homes need to have community water and sewer systems?

If they do who pays to install them, who pays to keep the paperwork and tests done as required by state law?

Would this be another county position?

What increase is there in the tax income the county received going from tax on timberland to tax on homes?

At one of the meetings I was at, the Payment in Lieu of Taxes expiring was talked about and the feeling I got was the planning department is concerned about the money to maintain their jobs.

The need to some way generate revenue for the department was talked about. I left with the feeling permits are to make up the money being lost when the Payment in Lieu of Taxes expires.

I am very concerned about anything that starts with misleading statements when it is first presented to the public. If the growth policy can not state the truth from the beginning is it a good policy?

Glenn Garrison

Troy