Commissioner candidate opposes ballot measure

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Story Published: Oct 25, 2007 at 10:28 PM PST

By Dan Bain

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A candidate for Douglas County Commissioner asked the sitting commissioners to pass a resolution opposing Ballot Measure 49, the revisions to the Measure 37 land use law that voters passed a couple of years ago.

Republican Rich Raynor, who has filed to run against Commissioner Doug Robertson, told county commissioners the measure would have a negative impact on the county. He asked that they pass a resolution that he read to the commission.

"Measure 49, contrary to its claims, is detrimental to personal property rights, and whereas the passage of Measure 49 will have a very serious and widespread negative effect on a large portion of Douglas County and it's citizens."

Robertson said he personally agreed with Raynor that it was not a good bill, but didn't think passing a resolution was the way to go.

"Clearly it was ill-conceived, and its very poorly written. It is enormously complicated and confusing, and the high value soils situation could have a very detrimental effect here, there's no question about that."

Commissioner Joe Laurance was a little less convinced that it was a bad bill.

"One of the reasons that we so love the place that we live, is that 50-50 mix of urban and rural areas. I would seek to continue that."

Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman opposed the bill and wanted to pass the resolution, but the motion died for lack of a second.

Measure 49 makes several changes to the original Measure 37, that was passed overwhelmingly by voters. Measure 37 requires the state to compensate landowners if their property values were lowered because of land use regulations.

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