(Spirit Lake)– Some Dickinson county residents are taking issue with the board of supervisors holding a public hearing on a highly controversial rezoning request during the day instead of the evening…saying the daytime hearing prohibits many from attending.
The board of supervisors opened a public hearing last month on a proposal to rezone land on the southeast side of East Lake Okoboji for condominiums and an indoor water park. The hearing was continued to the supervisor’s meeting this coming Tuesday, March 15th.
Supervisor Paul Johnson presented fellow supervisors with a petition he received from residents wanting the continued hearing scheduled for the evening of March 15th. Under Iowa law the county would need to publicize the new time in its official newspaper. And County Auditor Nancy Reiman said she would not be able to meet the paper’s publication deadline in getting a new notice posted in time for the March 15th hearing. Assistant County Attorney Lonnie Saunders agreed that such a change should be properly publicized since the issue is so controversial.
With that, the matter was dropped and the continued hearing remains scheduled as part of the March 15th board of supervisors meeting.
Supervisor David Gottsche rebuked the petition, saying many who signed it were at the previous hearing which was also held during the day.
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