Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Residents in San Juan County opposed proposed land use rules at a heated meeting.
- The planning commission approved the ordinance, but it still needs approval from the San Juan County Commission.
- A petition against the planning administrator was closed after gathering signatures, with officials urging civility.
SALT LAKE CITY – Residents packed a meeting in San Juan County to voice concerns about proposed rules for how property owners can use their land.
The San Juan County Planning Commission discussed the issue Thursday evening in a five-hour meeting that got heated at times. Eventually, after hammering out specifics of the rules — known as a land use ordinance — the planning commission voted to approve them.
But this issue has been the subject of intense controversy in southern Utah, even prompting calls for one county leader to resign.
"I'm for smaller government, not bigger government," said Mark Anderson of San Juan.
"This entire act is more fitting for a homeowners association," added Joy Howell, who lives in Mexican Hat.
San Juan County officials insisted their current land use ordinance is woefully out of date and needs to be clarified.
"It's a mess," Mitch Maughan, San Juan County attorney, said. "It contradicts itself."
The new ordinance would regulate a lot of things, including short-term rentals and keeping RVs on a property. It also initially put limits on agricultural use, such as how many animals people could keep and where they could feed them. But the public pushed back against that, causing the planning commission to remove that portion of it.
People were also upset that, during a meeting last month, county planning officials mentioned specific residents by name as justification for the new rules without those residents being able to defend themselves.
"I do want to apologize for things that we've said that we shouldn't have," Trent Schafer, planning commission chair, said Thursday. "We are human."
Upset residents had circulated a petition calling for the county's planning administrator, Kristen Bushnell, to resign or be fired. But in a Facebook post, officials called that "highly inappropriate" and "inconsistent with the values of San Juan County."
"Negative statements about specific employees can escalate to a form of harassment and bullying which can be viewed as harmful actions towards a public employee," the post stated. "We kindly ask for your assistance in stopping the petition and in spreading it through social media or other communication channels."
San Juan County administrator Mack McDonald said it hasn't reached the level where charges are necessary.
"At this time, we do not feel that it has reached the extent of legal action or criminal charges against anyone and we are hoping that it does not," McDonald said in an email Thursday.
After gathering hundreds of signatures, the petition against Bushnell was eventually closed. At Thursday's planning commission meeting, Bushnell told residents she was "saddened" by the petition and social media comments about her, but she defended the need for the new ordinance.
"Our intent was more property rights, more economic opportunity, more ability for people to find housing," Bushnell said. "There is no one up here on this panel that would argue those weren't our tried-and-true goals."
But many who attended the meeting argued the proposed rules would limit property rights and were not ready for prime time.
"Less government is better," said Curtis Pugh, who lives near Blanding. "Let private property be private property."
The land use ordinance still needs to be approved by the San Juan County Commission before becoming official.
