A new ordinance regulating Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) does not need a public hearing, said Doug Balfour, Power County planning and zoning attorney. But, knowing that some residents would want to speak publicly about the ordinance, the Power County Commissioners, in their meeting on Monday, Jan. 5, decided to hold a public hearing anyway.
The hearing will take place during the commissioners’ meeting on Monday, Feb. 22 at 9:30 a.m.
Public hearings usually are held for zoning changes that impact specific areas of land or for changes in the comprehensive plan, Balfour said in an interview with The Power County Press. Normally county wide ordinances are debated and passed in an open meeting, but not one that requires the formalities of a hearing, he said.
CAFOs covered by the ordinance have 500 or more “animal units.” The exact number of animals needed before obtaining a permit is determined by the ordinance and is different depending on the animal. CAFOs hold animals in pens in a concentrated area; this ordinance would not apply to animals sent out to pasture.
The ordinance gives new or expanding CAFOs a buffer between them and cities, residences, and water supplies. Already existing CAFOs would be grandfathered into the ordinance, but would still need to register with the county by submitting documents already required by federal and state agencies. A draft of the ordinance is available in the Power County Clerk’s office.
The CAFO ordinance is not meant to discourage CAFOs, but to create a base to look at their industry with the entire county in mind, Balfour said.
The ordinance is three to four years in the making, Balfour said. Paul Laggis, the previous county prosecutor, started a draft of the ordinance, but the ordinance was not completed or passed. Balfour said writing the ordinance required a heavy time commitment. The Power County Planning and Zoning board combined several different ordinances from other counties to create the ordinance for Power County.
The fee for the permit is higher than most other county fees, Balfour told the commissioners, but the permitting process is much more involved. The fee for new or expanding CAFOs is $2,000 plus 50 cents for every animal unit. CAFOs would also have to pay any other fees incurred by the county, such as hiring an outside investigator to perform studies on the CAFO site.
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