A public forum will be held at the Grant County Courthouse in Milbank on Monday, May 14th to gather input on the need for making changes to the county’s current land use ordinance as it pertains to wind energy systems. The forum will take place at 4 p.m. in the community room located on the lower level of the courthouse.
The Grant County planning and zoning board, acting as the board of adjustment, will meet in regular session prior to the public forum. The planning and zoning board, also known as the study group, will then lead the public forum.
A three hour time frame will be made available for those who would like to further address the need for making possible changes to the current land use ordinance.
Monday’s public forum will be the first step in the process to review and possibly revise the ordinance from its present form. Any input received will be used to better determine whether future changes should be implemented.
Additional meetings are planned in the near future to allow the study group the chance to further review any new information received to date. The meetings will not be open to the public.
However, citizens will have the opportunity to provide written materials for the group’s consideration by submitting those items to the planning and zoning office at least one full week prior to an upcoming scheduled meeting.
As of now, local officials are hoping to schedule a public meeting sometime in August to further discuss any proposed changes being recommended by the study group.
A follow-up meeting is planned in September, at which time a public hearing is expected to be conducted by the planning and zoning board with an official recommendation to then be forwarded to the Grant County Commissioners.
If the commissioners feel the ordinance needs to be changed, they would conduct a public hearing, and then they would need to pass a first and second reading of the ordinance before the changes can officially take effect.
