Lessons learned from prerelease settlement

The Flathead County Board of Adjustment last October shot down a proposal by the state to open a prerelease center in Evergreen, overriding county commissioners’ approval to move forward with the 90-bed facility.

The board’s vote was unanimous — yet, it turns out, it was never their decision to make.  

The prerelease center, described as a community residential facility, presented a somewhat complicated approval procedure. Commissioners were required under state law to vote on whether a facility should operate in the county, which they did in a 2-1 vote. It was then up to the Board of Adjustment to consider the conditional use permit and whether additional restrictions were appropriate to minimize neighborhood impact.