Thursday, March 21, 2013
County attorney finds flaws in watershed measure
Posted by Max Brantley on Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 3:42 PM
County Attorney Karla Burnett has analyzed the surprise amendment by Pulaski Justice of the Peace Tyler Denton that may torpedo the land use ordinances aimed at protecting the Lake Maumelle watershed.
She found flaws. The claim that the amendment expands the list of prohibited uses in the watershed during a four-year development moratorium is, for example, inaccurate she said. The wording actually expands possible uses of land in the watershed, she wrote.
A number of other problems are mentioned, including that the amendment could inavertently put in place a four-year moratorium on subdivision development countywide. She also said the county has no authority to establish a governing board to study watershed issues as the amendment proposes. Also, the amendment makes no mention for how to pay for such an agency.
Burnett's memo said she was told a further amendment may be offered at the next Quorum Court meeting to cure some of the problems.
Delay is nothing more than constructive defeat of ordinances developed over months of debate and fi;; consideration by all relevant parties. The urgency for getting the job done is compounded by a legislature spoiling to wrest regulatory authority on the watershed out of the county's hands. The delay ordinance is the work of those who want to defeat regulation. That was made clear when the Koch lobbyist cheered Denton's support for the four-year delay. Rather than amend the amendment, the Quorum Court should act with finality on the ordinances it has long had before it.
Speaking of...
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A compromise delay on Lake Maumelle protection
March 27, 2013JP Tyler Denton, under deserved fire for throwing in with the bad guys and joining Republican members of the Pulaski Quorum Court to delay watershed protection ordinances for the Maumelle watershed for four years, backed a compromise delay last night. /more/
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The Max is Back, But Depleted Edition
March 22, 2013The private option, tax cuts, school choice, voter ID, Big River Steel, the political impact of a Republican majority in the legislature, the governor's race, the tech park and delay tactics in the Lake Maumelle watershed — all covered this week. /more/
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Guess who wrote that anti-regulation bill that would stop zoning rules in Lake Maumelle watershed?
March 9, 2013We reported last week on the bill to make any form of regulation or zoning impossible in practice for state or local governments. /more/
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JP Tyler Denton concerned about Senate bill to strangle regulation
March 7, 2013Sen. Jim Hendren's bill to squash the ability of local and state governments to create regulatory or zoning laws would likely spell the death of a land-use ordinance in the Lake Maumelle watershed to protect the drinking water. /more/
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Senate passes bill to end zoning as we know it
March 6, 2013The Senate today passed Sen. Jim Hendren's bill to hamstring regulation and zoning by state and local governments. /more/
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Quorum Court amends Lake Maumelle watershed land-use ordinance
February 26, 2013Back to the drawing board. The debate about a proposed zoning ordinance for the Lake Maumelle watershed has raged for years, and the ordinance was finally set for a vote this evening by the Pulaski County Quorum Court. /more/
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Landowners continue complaints against Lake Maumelle Watershed zoning
February 25, 2013As noted in the previous post, environmentalists are concerned that the land-use ordinance set for vote tomorrow at the Pulaski County Quorum Court doesn't go far enough in protecting the Lake Maumelle Watershed. /more/
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