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Residents raise concerns about referral agencies and P&Z director authority; county says road and bridge standards will be handled separately
Summary
Multiple speakers at the Park County DSR 1 hearing said draft language grants broad discretionary powers to the Planning and Zoning director and opens referral processes that could delay projects; the county said road and bridge standards are being removed from DSR and will be rewritten as a separate document in DSR 2.
During public comment, Margaret Lohman said a DSR 1 provision that allows determinations "as determined by the P and Z director" gives ‘‘a lot of power to an unelected position that is not accountable directly to the public.'’ Lohman urged that references to the Planning and Zoning director be removed from the draft because the language was inappropriate to grant such discretion.
Lohman also criticized a referral-agency section in the sketch-plan and subdivision-review chapters, saying the inclusion of agencies such as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department "is not a regulating agency" in her view and that listing referral agencies could be used by the Planning and Zoning department to delay projects or add expense.
Jim Daugherty (also transcribed as Jim Doherty in public remarks), a resident who commented about administrative relief for road access, told the commission the county engineer had previously granted administrative relief roughly 15 times over a 10-year period. Daugherty said the engineer indicated that most such reliefs were later approved by the commissioners and that the current process gives department heads "too much flexibility." Daugherty and others asked whether those road and bridge standards would be revised as part of the DSR process.
The chair responded that county road and bridge standards are being pulled out of the DSR and will be rewritten as a separate document in DSR 2, and said that work is included in the consultant contract funding for the DSR process. "DSR 2, they will be being removed and rewritten," the chair said, and staff affirmed that no additional consultant spending beyond the current contract amount was planned for that work.
Why it matters: Referral agency lists and delegations to departmental directors determine administrative review, potential conditions, and timelines for subdivisions and development. Residents raised concerns that broad referral language and director discretion could be used to delay applications or impose undefined requirements.
Next steps: Staff said the road and bridge standards will be separated from DSR 1 and will have their own review and comment opportunities during DSR 2.
