We the residents of Bonner County call on our elected officials to protect the RURAL character of Bonner County, by following the Goals and Objectives of our Comprehensive Land Use Plan and living up to their legal and moral responsibility to make sure that ALL land divisions and development have access to adequate water, wastewater disposal, fire protection and other services to protect our safety, our natural resources and our quality of life. We call on the Bonner County Commissioners, the Planning and Zoning Commissioners, and the Planning Department to STOP rubber-stamping higher density development that undermines the rural character of our county and our agricultural and timber heritage and to STOP changes to the zoning code that erode our rural quality of life, contribute to poor planning practices, and undermine our Land Use Plan.
We join with the Keep Bonner County Rural Alliance and support their efforts to restore responsible planning to Bonner County.

Background: Why we are asking you to sign this petition:

• The County Commissioners are eroding away our rural quality of life by rubber-stamping higher density development proposals in rural areas that were designated in the Comprehensive Plan for low-density agricultural/forest use.
• The County Commissioners are failing to abide by the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan that calls for balancing growth and development with the preservation of the rural character of the county and protecting our natural resources.
• The County Commissioners have deregulated its zoning code over the last several years to allow administrative approval to most land divisions, without proper scrutiny of development standards to ensure adequate water, sewer and other public services for those new developments.
• Property owners are likely to see a rise in their property taxes to cover increased costs for expanded services such as fire protection, emergency services, and road construction and maintenance to serve the sprawl that will result from rapid, unbridled growth.
• The County Commissioners are prioritizing the desires of developers over the values of current residents who invested in their properties based on the assurances of a rural quality of life designed in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Map.
• The County Commissioners have been ignoring and disrespecting the work of dozens of volunteers from around the county who worked for months (years in some cases) in “Sub-Area” committees to update the comprehensive land use plan for their respective neighborhoods, and who overwhelmingly stated a desire to continue with the goal of the land use plan to protect the rural character and natural resources of Bonner County.

Keep Bonner County Rural is a diverse alliance of residents from around Bonner County, including Sagle, the Selle Valley, Hoodoo Valley, and elsewhere who share a commitment to protect our rural quality of life and are concerned about unbridled growth and development changing the character of our community. We support planned, responsible growth and believe county leadership is favoring higher density development in rural areas over community values. For more information or to volunteer, you can contact us at KBCR@mail.com.

Please help financially as well if you can. Go to GoFundMe and search: Keep Bonner County Rural. 
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