Bannock County holds public hearing on reduced Chubbuck area-of-city-impact; residents raise annexation, development concerns

Bannock County commissioners opened a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed reduction to the City of Chubbuck's area of city impact, a planning boundary the county and city use to coordinate growth. Planning and Development Director Hal Jensen told residents the hearing was required after changes in state law and that the county's role is to renegotiate ACIs based on whether a city can provide services within five years.

"If you have received a notification that you live within the ACI of Chubbuck. You're currently in the ACI, and you've been in the ACI for a number of years," Jensen said, explaining that the legislature revised the statute to limit city jurisdiction and require counties to renegotiate ACIs.

The nut graf: The hearing focused on whether properties along Chubbuck's fringe should remain inside the city's ACI after the state revised the Land Use Planning Act. Residents and property owners urged the county to protect parcels from future annexation, questioned how the new ACI map was drawn and sought clarity about development agreements that could affect their…