Will the new year bring a review of Gage County zoning regulations?

BEATRICE – Whether Gage County undertakes a review and update of zoning regulations remains to be seen, but getting public input through a special committee has been suggested.

Recently, the county’s planning and zoning commission, tasked with reviewing concentrated animal feeding operations, voted to ask the county board to establish a committee to take a wider look at zoning rules.

"Change the regulations up front so you won't have as many permits and you're going to save a lot of time, energy and money to not let it go through. And I'm also thinking, do any of us really want to have to go through what we did with this last Island Grove CAFO? Do you want to continue to do that?", said Margaret Haith of Beatrice...who was among those attending the recent planning commission meeting along with Liberty area residents. They opposed a CAFO plan in Island Grove Township that ultimately was not approved by the county.

The planning commission will meet again, January 18th…according to Zoning Administrator Lisa Wiegand. "If you look back through the history you've had a venue, for instance, that was placed in the setback of a CAFO. They were able to do that by having good relationships with their neighbors."

Wiegand said the last time zoning regulations on livestock operations were updated was six years ago. The last time an overall revision of regulations was undertaken was in 2009.

County board member Gary Lytle says rules revisions tend to follow controversial issues or proposals. "We put something out there so we had something, to kind of have a guideline. Do we really know where we want to be, for sure? A pig CAFO came in, and we really did not have a whole lot to do with that type of a setup in our county. Until you're faced with some of these things, it's hard to know just where you're at."

Gage County Attorney Roger Harris said the commission’s idea for a special committee accepting public input may be worth a look. "I think the idea was a nice offer of a compromise, because a lot of times what we get when you have a specific special use permit proposed...isn't the people in favor of it. It's the people who don't want it..and they're not always from this county. They're from different counties."

Wiegand says there’s a certain level of frustration among county planning commission members, who have put in several hours of time on regulations that govern things like wind farms, solar energy and livestock operations.

Board Chairman Erich Tiemann says he’s concerned that meetings of a special committee may not draw much citizen participation, when that usually happens only when a controversial project arises.  Wiegand suggests county board members speak directly with members of the planning commission.