We are circulating two petitions targeted at achieving our objective of better enfranchising Park County citizens in the decision process used to adopt zoning measures in the County
State law, Montana Code Annotated 76-1-604 titled Adoption, Revision, Or Rejection of Growth Policy gives specific directions on how adoption, repeal or revision of a growth policy, through the initiative or referendum process is done. R-001 qualified for a referendum vote under section 76-1-604-(4).
Ballot Referendum R-001 is asking to repeal the current growth policy, which was based on, now obsolete data, from 2009-2016. The 2017 growth policy also had the special-interest housing plan attached to it which caused much concern as it targeted specifically small, part-time rentals for more regulation. These rentals are a much-needed source of income for mortgage payments for home and landowners across the county.
R-002 Qualifies for referendum vote under 76-1-604(2) of Montana code. This gives the county commissioners two options for adopting a new or revised growth policy.
Voting FOR R-002 is a vote to require the commissioners to adopt future growth policies only by a vote of the people affected by that growth policy---not by the three-person, commission-alone alternative. The city of Livingston is a separate jurisdiction with its own city growth policy. Residents within the City of Livingston are not eligible to vote on growth policy measures impacting areas of the county outside the incorporated city jurisdiction.