Supervisors send three options on two‑mile agreement with City of Carroll to planning and zoning board

Carroll County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to ask the county planning and zoning board to review three options for the county’s two‑mile zoning agreement with the City of Carroll.

County staff outlined three choices for the planning and zoning board and the public: keep the existing two‑mile area but have the city submit its views while the county retains final permitting authority and county permit fees; reduce the area to a one‑mile agreement with county decision‑making and county permit fees; or eliminate the intergovernmental 28E agreement and adopt the state’s statutory quarter‑mile default. Staff said the 28E language will need to be revised regardless of which option moves forward.

The supervisors discussed concerns about duplicative public hearings and the timing of additional procedural steps. One board member argued for eliminating the two‑mile agreement entirely, saying the county has been ceding too many permitting options. Other supervisors expressed a desire to seek the planning and zoning board’s recommendation first and noted the city had been engaged in discussions.

By consensus the board directed staff to forward the three options to the planning and zoning board so that body can hold public hearings and return a recommendation; the board of supervisors retains final approval authority. County staff said any change will require a subsequent formal process and public notice.

Why it matters: the decision affects who charges permit fees and who has final authority over projects in the area around the city limits, including whether the county or city permitting regimes and fees apply within that buffer area.