Valley County adopts McCall area-of-impact boundary ordinance, denies city’s reconsideration request

The Valley County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 11 denied the City of McCall’s request for reconsideration of a boundary decision and approved Ordinance 2025-06 establishing the McCall area of impact (AOI) boundary, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026, after publication. Commissioners said the ordinance and boundary reflect where growth is expected within the next five years and noted municipal sewer and water expansion plans were a central factor.

The board voted first to deny the city’s reconsideration request, which the county said did not present issues requiring modification of its earlier decision. County officials said a written reason statement will be sent to McCall. The commissioners then deliberated on Ordinance 2025-06 and approved it “as heard,” with the understanding that the meets-and-bounds description will be inserted prior to codification and the county will work with the city on a transition plan.

Commissioners described a multi-year process of meetings and data review dating back more than two years, including joint work sessions and public hearings. They said the county relied heavily on technical data provided by the City of McCall and on testimony from regional agencies, including sewer and water districts and Valley Soil and Water, to determine which areas are likely to be served with municipal services within five years. County officials repeated that under recent state legislation the jurisdiction to set AOI boundaries rests with counties, and they cited the intent of the statute to limit city overreach into unincorporated areas.

The board emphasized that the AOI will be reviewed on a five-year cycle and that adopting the ordinance does not preclude future boundary changes if municipal services expand. Commissioners reiterated a commitment to collaborate with McCall and other municipalities on transition procedures and on future revisions to county ordinances and the comprehensive plan. The county also said it will pursue updates to its waterway and environmental ordinances and form citizen committees, including an architect who has agreed to serve and help draft architectural-control language for future code revisions.

Why this matters: The ordinance formally sets the geographic limits where the county will apply its comprehensive-plan provisions and land-use code under the five-year growth window established by state law. For residents in the AOI, the decision clarifies whether county or municipal codes apply until annexation occurs or the AOI is revised.

Key dates and process notes: County staff said the City of McCall submitted a reconsideration letter Aug. 26 and flagged a 90-day response period; the county noted a response deadline of Sept. 20. The board referenced earlier joint work sessions (Sept. 7, 2024; March 3, 2025; May 5, 2025), public hearings (July 7, 2025; Aug. 6, 2025) and the May 16, 2025 boundary-modification request from McCall. The commissioners said they will re-evaluate the AOI in five years and will monitor sewer and water bond-funded upgrades the city recently approved to determine whether the AOI should change.

Votes at the meeting: The board recorded a vote denying McCall’s request for reconsideration and later a separate vote approving Ordinance 2025-06 with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026. Officials said they will produce a written decision explaining the denial and will insert meets-and-bounds descriptions before codification of the ordinance.