27 Mar Victory for Egan Slough in Court — What Now?
On March 23rd, District Court Judge Robert Allison sent the Flathead County Commissioner’s flawed decision to impede the Egan Slough Zoning District expansion back to the County Commissioners due to numerous flaws and failures in reasoning. But where does that leave Flathead Valley residents who oppose the bottling plant? Does this mean that the bottling plant is thwarted? Unfortunately, No.
This ruling by the District Judge returns the zoning issue back to the county commissioners for them to reconsider and follow the law. This is a great thing, but there still is no guarantee that they county commissioners won’t find a way to impose their community-defying wishes on the rest of the county by deciding again not to vote in favor of the expanding the Egan Slough Zoning District. Or… They might appeal this decision to the Supreme Court. But, whatever the case, one thing remains clear…
We Must Vote June 5th!
No matter what happens with these county commissioners, there will still be a vote on June 5th which will establish the voter’s desire to expand the Egan Slough Zoning District as petitioned by the Egan Slough Community. Even if the county commissioners decide to expand the district, we must still vote for the expansion for one simple reason —
To Tell the Commissioners to Listen to US
We must tell the commissioners that when the community unites on an issue then it is their obligation and responsibility as elected officials to respect the public — no more looking down on those who elect them as peasantry.
And, remember — what happens in Egan Slough can happen elsewhere. Other neighborhood communities should be allowed to zone their neighborhoods in accordance to their wishes since the County clearly does not have the resident’s best interests in mind. If a bottling plant can be rammed down the throats of the Egan Slough community, then a ball-bearing factory can just as easily be located in Many Lakes or elsewhere in the rural county. We need to control our collective destinies — Vote June 5th!