Bonner County commissioners void moratorium after acknowledging open‑meeting error, adopt new MLD moratorium excluding family splits

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to self‑recognize an open‑meetings law violation tied to its March 25 meeting, void Ordinance 7‑20 that enacted a moratorium on minor land divisions and family exemptions, and adopt a new, time‑limited moratorium on minor land divisions that excludes family exemptions.

The action followed lengthy public comment and legal advice from county counsel Bill Wilson. Commissioner Domke moved that the board “self recognize that we committed an open meetings law violation” tied to the March 25 motion to add an emergency moratorium, and the board voted to void that ordinance. The board then approved a replacement moratorium limited to non‑family minor land divisions, with an effective date of May 19, 2025, and an expiration date of Oct. 1, 2025.

Why it matters: Commissioners and county staff said they want to address what they described as growing public‑safety and infrastructure concerns tied to the way some minor land divisions have been used in Bonner County — particularly when multiple divisions have produced subdivision‑scale density without the infrastructure reviews that a formal subdivision process demands. Supporters of the new moratorium said it will give planning staff and the planning commission time to…