City and rural residents in Washington County take heed!
As reported in last week’s paper, our Board of County Commissioners have set a precedent for the time spent in executive session. The Idaho code intentionally limits what business can be conducted privately, both to protect sensitive legal matters but also as a constraint on potential abuse by elected officials. During my two terms as commissioner, our executive sessions related to personnel or legal matters came nowhere near this current record, so whatever the purpose, it should concern us all. However, there is a possible clue to what’s going on.
Recently, the county’s land use ordinance limiting the number of splits and building permits enacted nearly fifty years ago to protect our agricultural economy has again come under assault. This is nothing new and happened during my terms as well without success. I suppose if one tries hard enough to circumvent the law, find a loophole they can manipulate, or allow questionable legal advice to prevail, we may soon wake up to a very different landscape in Washington County. I’m reminded of some sage advice Ira Burton or another land use scholar once shared. It’s sometimes less about the letter of the law and more about the spirit of the law. The citizens who attended public hearings fifty years ago when our code was written made their intent clear about protecting our ag lands. Our P&Z commissions and Boards ever since have upheld this trust. Will our current Board?
Tony Edmondson
