- Montezuma County is moving swiftly to adopt regulations designed to control “areas of state interest” within its boundaries.
Montezuma County is moving swiftly to adopt regulations designed to control “areas of state interest” within its boundaries, but some people say it is moving too swiftly. A public hearing has been set January 11th for the county commissioners to consider a designation intended to protect the Phil’s World Bike Trail from potential energy development. The designation would be done under a 1974 state law known as “1041”. It was originally aimed at regulating things such as public utilities and dams but the county hopes to use it in broader ways. On December 14th, the Planning and Zoning Commission wholeheartedly endorsed the idea of the 1041 rules, suggesting they might be used to prevent public-lands road closures. Audience members M.B. McAfee and Ellen Foster said there would not be time for the public to educate themselves on the complex rules before the hearing. McAfee said “it’s a big deal” to add a chapter to the land-use code. But chairman Dennis Atwater said the timeline came from the county commissioners, and P&Z member Kelly Belt said few members of the public would be interested anyway. On Wednesday, county planning assistant Robin Scott said attorney John Baxter was still working on the final version of the rules. Baxter told the commissioners on December 21st he could pare down P&Z’s original proposal from more than 50 pages to one.
