I prepared the Residents’ Guide to Key Administrative Record Questions (link) to help residents understand the main public-record issues surrounding the proposed Old Board Ranch annexation.

The guide is not asking the City to reject housing or decide final engineering now. It asks a narrower question: Before the City relies on April 13 findings, zoning assumptions, density assumptions, subdivision assumptions, public-benefit claims, or development-capacity assumptions, what standards, evidence, timing, and factual baseline should first be identified in the public record?

This matters now because assumptions can harden. If residents wait until final engineering, final plat, or later subdivision review, key issues such as zoning, density, unit count, road location, parcel configuration, public benefit, and the legal effect of the April 13 findings may already have been framed as settled.

Here are several ways to participate:

1. Review the attached Residents’ Guide — If you only have a few minutes, start with the Top Questions to Ask First section.
2. Send comments to the City — Comments can be directed to the Hailey Mayor and Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, and City staff. The most important question to ask is:
   1. Will the City treat the April 13 findings and development assumptions as procedural only, or will those findings and assumptions be used later as established facts? 
   2. Council: mary.cone@haileycityhall.org; martha.burke@haileycityhall.org; kaz.thea@haileycityhall.org; juan.martinez@haileycityhall.org; dustin.stone@haileycityhall.org; sage.sauerbrey@haileycityhall.org
   3. P&Z: mary.cone@haileycityhall.org; jrfugate@cox.net; smsdrs@hotmail.com; bozenahaileypz@gmail.com; jordanelizabeth.fitzgerald@gmail.com; smitharchsv@gmail.com
3. Submit letters to local media — Residents may also consider submitting letters to the Idaho Mountain Express (portal) and 5B Gazette (portal) to help broaden public awareness of the record questions surrounding Old Board Ranch.
4. Attend the FEMA flood-risk open house — Updated FEMA flood-risk maps are now available for Blaine County (link), with a public comment / appeal period from May 27 to August 25, 2026. The open house is Monday, June 1, 2026, 6–8 pm, at the Old County Courthouse, 206 South 1st Avenue, Hailey (details). Residents can learn how updated flood-risk information may affect properties, insurance, planning, development decisions, and public safety along the Big Wood River and neighboring streams.
5. Supporting the ongoing work — A number of residents have asked about this. Targeted work is underway to support continued resident review and participation in the Old Board Ranch process. The purpose is to strengthen public transparency and process integrity. With the annexation/subdivision process actively moving forward, financial support now will help sustain independent resident review before unsupported assumptions are carried forward as accepted facts.
   1. If you are interested in helping fund this next phase, please contact me.

Thank you for staying engaged.

Joel Loveday // lovedja@hotmail.com