County ready to unveil revised growth plan

A lengthy review and updating process for the Flathead County growth policy is nearly complete, the county’s planning director says.

BJ Grieve briefed county commissioners on the policy update done by employees in his department and planning board members.

Grieve said the text of the document is “mostly done,” and map work should be finished in January.

Once the revised document is completed, public comment on it will be accepted and the plan adjusted based on that input. Grieve expects to present the revised plan to the commissioners for approval in March.

The planning staff will continue its efforts to clear up pending complaint files, he said. Several months ago Grieve set a goal to deal with 140 pending files. The number of unresolved issues now stands at 68.

“The ones that are left are harder and harder to resolve,” he said, “but we’re continuing to work with the landowners.”

Another project the planning board soon will tackle is cleaning up “housekeeping issues” in the county’s subdivision regulations that were adopted last fall.

Some of the items that need to be addressed include inconsistencies in fees charged for various services and adjusting county rules to comply with new state laws.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.