HomeMy WebLinkAboutRe: Embarrassing Mistakes in Rexburg’s Development CodeDear Mayor,
Thank you for your chastisement of my use of blunt language in describing the serious and embarrassing mistakes in the city's development code. Sometimes sharpness is needed to draw
attention to urgent problems that need to be fixed. I apologize and will try to do better.
We have learned by sad experience that government employees, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, begin exercising dominion over the people they were hired to serve.
Just as the city needs protection from egregious citizen behavior, so the citizens need protection from hostile city bureaucrats. A carefully crafted city code can do both.
I see no good reason for the heavy hand of government regulation to prevent a family from using hobby farm activities for their self-reliance, “if their residence has sufficient space
for the quantity and species kept and provided the activity does not cause egregious disturbance to neighbors.” (Proposed language to be added to Section 4.00.020 Permitted Accessory
Uses.) This is especially true in Rural Residential 2, which zone is supposed to "protect stable country neighborhoods."
The proposed revision of Rural Residential 2 zone code should NOT remove its existing permitted use of Agriculture, and its Animals Section should be like Rural Residential 1 zone, permitting
limited livestock as measured by animal units.
The proposed revision of the Development Code should NOT add the section “Animals. Only household pets are permitted” to every residential zone. It not only reveals hostility toward
animals used for personal food production, but it sparks unnecessary questions, like "are service animals prohibited?" It would be far better to simply include “pets” in Section 4.00.020
Permitted Accessory Uses, which applies to all residential zones. It would also help remove the folly of pretending that chickens (for meat and egg production) are included in the definition
of household pets.
I’d like to be invited to participate in discussions or work meetings about fixing Attachment Ord 1298 Dev Code Amendments to Ord 1200.
Wanless
208-569-6095
On Mon, Feb 6, 2023 at 9:11 PM Jerry Merrill <jerry.merrill@rexburg.org <mailto:jerry.merrill@rexburg.org> > wrote:
Dear Mr. Southwick,
I appreciate your suggestions and want you to know we as Mayor, Council and P & Z Commission are grateful for citizen involvement and are working with staff to find a good compromise
that allows for reasonable activity that you allude to.
I don’t necessarily appreciate the “embarrassing stupidity” comment as well as your comments about some of my staff members because I’ve always been a fan of civil and kind communication
in negotiations between people to get things accomplished. We believe your suggestions have merit and have been discussing how we can change our development code to make sense for everyone.
I know you probably feel some frustration with things as proposed (and I’m assuming that’s what drove you to make those comments) but please just know that we (including Stephen Zollinger
and Alan Parkinson) are open and willing to consider suggestions from citizens but not everything that is suggested always works and we have to be willing to compromise on some items.
Thanks again for your input and we will be discussing this more to come to a solution that makes sense.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Jerry Merrill
Mayor, City of Rexburg
From: Wanless Southwick <jwanlesss@gmail.com <mailto:jwanlesss@gmail.com> >
Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2023 10:50 PM
To: Jordan Busby <jordan.busby@rexburg.org <mailto:jordan.busby@rexburg.org> >; Tisha Flora <Tisha.Flora@rexburg.org <mailto:Tisha.Flora@rexburg.org> >; Robert Chambers <Robert.Chambers@rexburg.org
<mailto:Robert.Chambers@rexburg.org> >; Mikel Walker <mikel.walker@rexburg.org <mailto:mikel.walker@rexburg.org> >; Bryanna Johnson <bryanna.johnson@rexburg.org <mailto:bryanna.johnson@rexburg.org>
>; Colin Erickson <Colin.Erickson@rexburg.org <mailto:Colin.Erickson@rexburg.org> >
Cc: Mayor <mayor@rexburg.org <mailto:mayor@rexburg.org> >; Stephen Zollinger <Stephen.Zollinger@rexburg.org <mailto:Stephen.Zollinger@rexburg.org> >; Spencer Rammell <mcpo@co.madison.id.us
<mailto:mcpo@co.madison.id.us> >; Alan Parkinson <alan.parkinson@rexburg.org <mailto:alan.parkinson@rexburg.org> >; Deborah Lovejoy <deborahl@rexburg.org <mailto:deborahl@rexburg.org>
>; Eric Erickson <erickson.ewe@gmail.com <mailto:erickson.ewe@gmail.com> >; Randall Kempton <kemptonr@byui.edu <mailto:kemptonr@byui.edu> >; sally <sally@ida.net <mailto:sally@ida.net>
>; Sharee Barton <bartons@msd321.com <mailto:bartons@msd321.com> >
Subject: Embarrassing Mistakes in Rexburg’s Development Code
I don't want to injure or offend, but the existing City Development Code (ORDINANCE NO. 1200) contains seriously sloppy language that has not been fixed by the recently proposed code
amendments. In fact, “Attachment Ord 1298 Dev Code Amendments to Ord 1200” proposes even more embarrassing stupidity for the code.
Please see the attached document.
I don't know whether these problems are due to incompetence, the lack of attention to detail, or malicious obfuscation, but it is obvious to me that the proposed amendments to the development
code are not ready for adoption as written.
Wanless Southwick
208-569-6095