Effort to rescind growth policy stalls

A push by the American Dream Montana property-rights group to get a ballot referendum to repeal the Flathead County Growth Policy has stalled, at least for now.

The group had until 5 p.m. on Nov. 9 to deliver the 5,353 signatures needed to put the referendum on next year’s ballot, but turned nothing in by the deadline, Flathead County Election Manager Monica Eisenzimer said.

Russ Crowder, chairman of American Dream Montana, said by the time the County Attorney’s Office got the petition drafted and ready for circulation on Aug. 11, it was too late to get it on this year’s general election ballot.

“We considered it to be a dry run,” Crowder said about the proposed referendum, adding that “the urgency went out” when the contract of Planning Director Jeff Harris was not renewed.

American Dream Montana had long maintained that Harris had overstepped his authority and pushed for neighborhood plans in areas where there wasn’t community buy-in.

Now that BJ Grieve has been hired as planning director, Crowder said it’s only fair to give Grieve a chance. Crowder also is hopeful that incoming County Commissioner Pam Holmquist, who already has developed a property rights “Bill of Rights,” will strive to protect individual property rights.

Although the growth policy isn’t a regulatory document, Crowder has contended that it gives the county too much power to make sweeping decisions without fully considering the rights of property owners.

Somewhere along the way, the line between planning and politics became blurred in a way that has negatively impacted property owners, he said.

Crowder said if he doesn’t like what happens in the planning arena in the months to come, his group will push for a referendum for the 2012 ballot.

“Let’s see what happens,” he said.

Eisenzimer said the group would need to “start from scratch” on another referendum petition.

Any signatures gathered from the first effort would be invalid since they’re on an expired petition. Once the clock starts ticking for the referendum petition, the requesting party has 90 days to gather valid signatures from 15 percent of county residents living outside city limits.