County P&Z chair and vice chair leave commission | Local Government | tetonvalleynews.net

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Chris Larson

Sarah Johnston

After committee chairman Chris Larson resigned earlier this fall, and vice chairman Sarah Johnston resigned in November, only the Teton County Planning and Zoning Committee remained. The next long-term member. 

This seven-member committee is responsible for serving as an advisory group on planning, land use, and development policies and issues. Until recently, there were experienced members on the P&Z bench. Before September 2019, there were four new members 

 In order to replace the outgoing commissioner, P&Z has not had any turnover since 2015. However, with the departure of Johnston and Larson, Commissioner Jack Haddox has the most seniority among the young boards and was appointed chairman on November 10. 

Sarah Johnston, who has been in office since 2015, resigned on November 7; program administrator Gary Armstrong told the county commissioner that Johnston could not devote enough time to P&Z due to family, work, and concerns about COVID. 

Johnston served as a member of the Teton County Development Impact Fee Advisory Committee from 2012 to 2019. He became a member of the Teton County Road Committee in 2014 and has been serving on the Steering Committee of the Land Development Code. As a civil engineer and owner of Arrowleaf Engineering, Johnston is able to solve planning topics and infrastructure issues with his unique technical expertise. Johnston declined to be interviewed when he left P&Z. 

Chris Larson worked in Tea County P&Z, Utah for 8 years, and worked as a planning commissioner in Park City, Utah for 12 years. His planning process for urban and rural areas Very familiar. On the eve of the 2002 Winter Olympics, he served in Park City. Larson recalled: "There was a lot of money coming in, and there was a lot of pressure for development." "We wanted to stop a lot of things. It's hard to afford large sums of money, and the same is true here. 

When current county commissioner Kathy Rinaldi persuaded Larson to join P&Z in Teton County, he learned a lot about rural planning. At his first meeting, he said that someone used the word "ag" and Larson had to ask what it meant. Every month he attends meetings with new agricultural issues and raises them to his committee members. 

Larson believes that the greatest achievement during P&Z's tenure was the adoption of the new county comprehensive plan in 2012. 

He said: "This is a big deal." "There was a meeting in the high school auditorium and the mood was high. We tried to figure out that there were a lot of people on both sides. What do we want this community? I think the final product is a good document. It laid a solid foundation for the future development of Teton County, Idaho." 

Eight years later, efforts are still being made to adopt land development regulations consistent with the comprehensive plan. Larson will continue to serve as a member of the steering committee and said it is expected that draft regulations will be formulated soon, when the county will begin another phase of public awareness. 

Larson said: "Even if I feel I have fulfilled my obligations to P&Z, I still promise to develop the code, so I insist on this." He added that he wanted to take a one-year vacation from public service, but he Acknowledge that if the right volunteer position appears, it might look like six months. 

After years of development pressure and economic prosperity and depression, Larson said that he learned to listen to public opinions and communicate. 

"A lot of times I will attend meetings without knowing it. I want to see what people have to say, be open-minded and have no predetermined decisions. This is very important learning for me." He said. 

Regarding P&Z’s turnover, Larson said: “As a commissioner, you like to rely on experience and institutional history when making decisions, regardless of whether you agree with another member’s philosophy.” Fortunately, he added that last year, senior members and plans The department has been working to make the new commissioners master the process as soon as possible and educate them. 

Tim Watters, a member of the board of directors of the Teton Valley Community Foundation, was selected to fill Larson's seat. Waters joined current P&Z members Jack Haddox, Aidan Sullivan, Erica Tremblay, Patrick McDonnell and Bert Michelbacher. The county is currently soliciting applications from people in Johnston who are interested in replacing the committee. Interested letters can be submitted to

. 

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