Critical of county approval for rural subdivisions

I recently attended two preliminary plat hearings for the Schreiber Lake subdivisions held by the county commissioners. I was astonished by the lack of interest the commissioners have for the numerous items of concern brought by outside agencies, the county planner and the public. 

The community needs to be aware of how subdivisions are approved. And that is, they are carte blanche approved with NO consideration given to any concerns other than those that will make the subdivision happen.

Serious concerns such as water use, for example: the (out of state) developer hired a firm to determine how 27 wells in the subdivisions will impact ground water. This firm said: no impact. The Montana Dept. of Transportation, which developed the Schreiber Lake Meadows wetlands adjacent to the two subdivisions, disagreed and is concerned about ground water depletion, among many other issues (loss of wildlife habitat, loss of wildlife corridors, garbage, dogs in the wetlands, water rights obligations and more). 

The county planner also had concerns about the information provided by the developer’s firm for ground water impacts. This is one example of many that should have been investigated before plat approval. It was not.

The indifference toward agency and public concerns shown by the commissioners for something as important as subdivisions, which impacts every resident in the county, is nothing short of appalling. The opportunity for public input is a farce and something the commissioners simply endure for show, because the fact is, every subdivision will be approved (none have ever been denied in recent history) and there is NO meaningful mitigation for anything other than what will make the new residents comfortable.

The “conditions for approval” for the final plat ONLY address items that will allow the subdivision to proceed. There is no mitigation or consideration for the actual concerns that matter to local residents.

And the reason subdivisions are approved with no consideration given to issues raised?

Tax revenue, as stated by Noel Duram. It’s all about the money. 

The commissioners are not representing county residents. They’re representing the developers, who will make millions off the sale of their subdivision lots while we pay more in property taxes as land values continue to escalate and the new (often out-of-state) residents enjoy areas that are now off limits to the rest of us. How disheartening that our commissioners are willing to sell out Lincoln County for a buck.

I’d like to close with a quote from Noel Duram, Eureka’s commissioner, as stated at the June 11, 2025 commissioner’s meeting regarding Schreiber Lake (and all) subdivisions:

“…the only way we can generate revenue is by subdivisions and having property taxes go up…” (June 11, 2025 County Commissioners Meeting Video at 35:50.)

Maggie Craig, Libby