Libby's draft growth policy submitted to city council

The Libby City Planning Board unanimously approved the draft growth policy following a public hearing on Oct. 24.

After several comments from the public resulted in some changes, Libby City Council will now get a crack at it.

The meeting’s purpose was to solicit public comment and incorporate relevant changes into the draft proposal, which will update the city's 2010 growth policy.

For some public commenters from Lincoln County, the meeting raised uncomfortable questions about Montana’s growth. Although there is no explicit annexation policy in the draft growth policy, the city’s future boundaries became an underlying theme in the meeting.

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” city council member Zach McNew said. McNew referred to the document as a guide that would move the community forward.

Later, another person noted that he would have to raise rent if he were required to switch to city water – which he was worried he would have to do if his property were annexed.

“There is no current (annexation) policy,” Planning Board Chair Kristen Smith said. “That's something the city council would have to take up.”

To clarify the document, Smith stated that, “The planning area is just to anticipate where there will be growth.”

Still, clearly some members of the county worry about being incorporated into the City of Libby. Another member of the public expressed concern about being annexed to the city and stated that the hypothetical annexation would limit people’s ability to own animals.

“I don’t want to be part of the city, I like having my chickens and my goats,” another person said.

“The planning area boundary has been in place for 12 years, it’s part of the statutory planning process. As I said before there’s no annexation policy,” Smith said.

In reference to concern about the city’s growth one member of the public said, “I don’t want Libby to change, I don’t. But Libby has to change.”

“As a city council we don’t really have a plan right now to annex anything,” Gary Beach of Libby City Council said in the meeting.

Beach explained that this document is just a vision. The document is being updated from the 2010 version, and the community's needs have changed since then. The draft growth policy estimates that Libby’s population will increase by 100-150 people in the next 10 years.

Eventually another person thanked the planning committee for previous virtual meetings, and noted that their voice felt heard during the process.

There were minor word changes to several pages of the proposed plan. Some actions and time frames were changed including to planned implementation of wildlife management, transportation and the source water protection plan. Wording changes will also add priority to bringing more veterinary services to Libby.

The new planning document will eventually be available online and those wishing to participate in the city council's deliberations can check on upcoming meeting agendas posted to the city’s website.

The city council is scheduled to meet Monday, Nov. 7.