(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Planning and Zoning Commission has two new members…increasing its membership to seven.
The board of supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved the appointments of Jon Gunderson of rural Lake Park and Bob Chaffin, Jr. of rural Milford to five year terms on the commission. Both men are farmers…and the fact they reside in the unincorported area of the county mean the commission is back in compliance with state code, which requires a majority of the members live in the unincorporated area. The fact that three members on the board resided in incorporated areas of the county meant the board was out of compliance with state law…resulting in the need to either expand the commission or replace some members.
On a related matter, Supervisor Pam Jordan made a motion Tuesday that the board of supervisors request the resignation of P & Z member Bill Eich, siting his having moved from the unincorporated area of the county into an incorporated area, and concern over a potential conflict of interest with him working in the building trades industry. The motion died for lack of a second. Fellow supervisor Mardi Allen spoke in favor of keeping Eich on the commission, saying he is a strong member and one that is well-researched on the issues. Allen added she wants to see how the newly expanded commission is going to function before making any other changes.
