Charting Our Course in Sublette County

Planning and Zoning issues are at the heart of defining Sublette County, today and in the future. These issues touch the daily lives of everyone in the county, encompassing the economy, property rights, water, air, light, wildlife, wilderness, the structures we call home, the way we use our lands, the way we make our livings, recreation, public services, health and safety, what fills our eyes as we go about our lives in this great county, and so much more. While the business of planning and zoning can be quite boring to most people, the issues are critical to the future of the county and the outcomes are frequently ones that the citizens of Sublette County care deeply about.

In my 2 years on the Sublette County Planning and Zoning Commission there are two common sentiments that I have heard expressed continuously. The first is that change is inevitable, which is usually expressed with distress and concern about what that means to Sublette County. The second is that we do not want to become Jackson.

Personally, I believe that change is inevitable and is positive if it is in fulfilment of the vision that is laid out for the county. It is only negative if it is either done without vision and proper planning or if it happens in opposition to the vision and planning.

Someone in a P&Z meeting announcing that we don’t want to become Jackson usually results in a room full of people shaking their head in agreement. But the fact is that everyone in the room is thinking about something different when they think about what they don’t like about Jackson. The truth is that we will never become the county we aspire to be by focusing primarily on the county that we don’t want to be.

If only we had a document that laid out a vision for what Sublette County is all about and what its future should look like as it grows and changes over time. Oh wait, we do! It’s the Sublette County Comprehensive Plan (http://www.sublettewyo.com/DocumentCenter/View/206/ComprehensivePlan). A comprehensive plan is a document that the Wyoming State Statutes require before a county can establish and legally enforce zoning regulations. The comprehensive plan establishes values and policies in support of the vision it lays out and the zoning regulations provide laws to enact the policies in practical terms.

Our Comprehensive Plan was created through a thorough and time intensive process involving lots of citizens in Sublette County with all sorts of different backgrounds, interests, concerns, and perspectives. Through this process they drafted an extremely well thought out and powerful vision for Sublette County representing what the citizens want for our county. Our Zoning Regulations (http://sublettewyo.com/DocumentCenter/View/428/Zoning-Reg) represent and refer to the Comprehensive Plan throughout, bringing the two documents in tight alignment and reinforcing each other. I believe that the people and process behind the Comprehensive Plan produced an excellent document that represents the county well and captures what we love and care about in Sublette County. Setting aside what I think, in my time on the P&Z Commission the overwhelming majority of comments I have heard from citizens regarding the Comprehensive Plan have been positive.

So, why when we have charted our course and there is broad agreement that it is the right course do so many Sublette County citizens feel distressed about the direction we are headed? Well, the answer is pretty simple. If we look at the course we have charted and we look at where we actually are it is plain to see that have gone off course. The Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Regulations have not been put to use as intended.

The Sublette County Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Regulations together are a commitment and social contract between and among Sublette County Public Servants (AKA County Government) and Sublette County Citizens. It is the duty and obligation of the P&Z Office, P&Z Commission, and ultimately the County Commissioners to uphold and abide by that commitment and social contract.

We commonly hear concern about encroachment on individual property rights, and everything that I have seen tells me that we in Sublette County all care deeply about property rights. And it is true that zoning regulations do provide constraints on the property rights of individuals. However, this is in service of benefitting public health, safety, and interests including fulfillment of the Comprehensive Plan. This is the social contract that Sublette County citizens make with each other. Sublette County citizens largely agree to abide by the Zoning Regulations, accepting a reasonable amount of constraints on their personal property rights, in order to protect both themselves and their fellow citizens.

When zoning regulations are ignored, distorted, or degraded it breaks the social contract. The Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Regulations, which citizens felt confident in providing them protection, lose their meaning and fail to deliver on their promise. When confidence and protections are lost the system breaks down and we are rudderless and lost at sea with little hope of reaching the destination in the course we have charted.

So the question that remains is how do we get back on course? The County Commissioners are elected by and serve you, the citizens of Sublette County. The P&Z Office is hired and managed by the County Commissioners. The P&Z Commissioners are appointed by and serve the County Commissioners. And so, it is the duty of the P&Z Office and P&Z Commissioners to serve the County Commissioners by helping them fulfill their obligation to uphold and abide by the Zoning Regulations in service of Sublette County citizens and their vision (aka the Comprehensive Plan) for the County we aim to be. So we all have a role to play.

What can I do? As one of five volunteer Planning and Zoning Commissioners I can say that the citizens of Sublette County have my commitment to diligently work in service of you, faithfully follow the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Regulations, and always provide the best and most accurate recommendations possible to the County Commissioners.

What can you do? Put your voice and your votes to use and hold me and all of the other public servants in this process accountable to uphold our end of the social contract. Watch the legal section of the Pinedale Roundup (https://pinedaleroundup.com/legal-notices) to see what’s on the upcoming agenda for P&Z meetings. Come to meetings and use your voice. Write to the P&Z Office, P&Z Commission, and the County Commissioners to share your thoughts about specific applications or your ideas in general. Provide your feedback and thoughts about the zoning regulations (these are currently being revised so it’s a great time). Vote for folks that promise and prove that they will uphold and abide by the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Regulations. Find out more about Sublette County Planning and Zoning (http://sublettewyo.com/123/Planning-Zoning).

If everyone does their part we can get back on course, embrace the positive change that lies ahead, stop focusing on the County we don’t want to be, and start focusing on the County we purposefully aspire to become. We can do it!

Please send your thoughts and comments to Chris Lacinak at chris@sublettematters.com

The opinions expressed in this series are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Sublette County Planning and Zoning Commission, Sublette County Board of County Commissioners, Sublette County Planning and Zoning. The information provided in this series does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice.