Commissioners discuss DSR update, streamlining SUP amendments and public concerns over voting machines

Park County commissioners received a brief Development Standards and Regulations (DSR) update, discussed streamlining the special use permit (SUP) amendment process, and heard public comments urging a return to paper precinct elections.

A commissioner said the DSR consultant is working with staff on use definitions and that DSR-1 is in operation effective Oct. 1; the board expects additional materials and public meetings in coming months. The item was informational; no vote was taken.

Several members of the public spoke. Karen Jones of Cody urged restoring paper precinct elections, hand counts and paper poll books and suggested reopening precinct polling places to reduce long lines. Jones said, “Long lines indicate the need for more precinct polling places, and e-poll books will not alleviate the long lines. Long land lines are a civil rights violation. The remedy is paper elections in the precincts.”

A Powell-area business owner identified in the record as Chris said he plans to apply for an amended SUP to expand a wholesale low-explosive fireworks business that sells only to licensed businesses, not to the public. Chris asked whether routine, lateral expansions that do not change the parcel or basic use could be handled administratively by Planning and Zoning rather than returning to the board each time. Planning staff and commissioners agreed to review the amendment criteria and to consider streamlining options when finalizing DSR-2.

Zach Taylor of the Powell Tribune praised the board’s decision to trial a short public-input period for non-agenda items and encouraged the board to continue the practice.

The board took no formal action on DSR or SUP amendment policy at this meeting but asked staff to examine criteria that would allow limited lateral expansions to be handled at the Planning and Zoning level if the parcel and use remain the same.