Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning And Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff flags septic compliance issue, scanners and contractor concerns as commission debates enforcement consistency
Summary
Planning and zoning staff reported a faulty septic installation and progress on a records‑scanning grant; commissioners raised concerns about inconsistent enforcement and proposed contractor registration and discussed STR safety standards for dead‑end roads and wildfire risks.
Planning and zoning staff told the Custer County Planning Commission on March 8 that February inspections and compliance work identified a septic installation using the wrong piping, which staff referred to the county attorney for further action. The department also reported progress on a document‑scanning grant intended to digitize historical parcel files and make permits and permits’ status easier for the public to access online.
"We held 14 special meetings," planning staff reported in the February permit summary, and said permit issuance was comparable to the prior year. Staff described one recent septic installation that used incorrect pipe sizing; the office paused the system and sent the file to the county attorney for enforcement while the contractor prepares a corrected installation.
Commissioners used the staff report to broaden a discussion about quality of local contractors and whether minimal regulatory controls are leading to substandard work. One commissioner proposed a county contractor registration or low‑fee test to help the office identify contractors and reduce poor workmanship; others said they wanted a short informational workshop to explore options. "There's some stupid contractors out here building crap," a commissioner said, framing registration as a way to provide at least basic verification for residents.
Staff also described ongoing efforts to scan and index parcel and historical documents under a grant. The scanned materials will be available online except for files with active compliance or legal confidentiality restrictions, staff said, which should reduce in‑office traffic for routine searches.
Why it matters: the septic compliance referral and the contractor‑registration discussion touch on enforcement capacity and resident safety. Commissioners asked staff to return with options for contractor registration and clearer ways to ensure consistent decisions for STRs on narrow or dead‑end roads, an issue that emerged repeatedly during the evening’s hearings.
What’s next: staff will continue the compliance follow‑up with the county attorney and return to the commission with options or an educational workshop on contractor registration and consistency of enforcement.
