Dear editor:

WARNING Park County Rural Property Owners: 

Park County Commission Board Chair Dossie Overfield has stated, “For PERMITTED uses and  businesses, even if the regulations are changed to disallow them in a given location, property  owners are allowed to continue that use so long as the use didn’t stop for a year. Because it was PERMITTED and started before the rules changed, it is grandfathered in, and they’re allowed  to continue the use.” 

If you have put anything on your property, or made use of your property without a PERMIT, you are “nonconforming,” therefore not eligible to be grandfathered. Further, upon discovery of your nonconformity, absent a permit on record, you can be cited for your unlawful action or use, and fined. Wyoming Statute 18-5-203 requires a certificate to locate buildings or use land within zoning resolution. Statute 18-5-204 “No person shall locate, erect, construct, reconstruct, enlarge, change, maintain or use any building or use any land in violation of a resolution or amendment adopted by any board of county commissioners under Statute 18-5- 202(c). Each day’s continuation of such violation is a separate offense.” Statute 18-5-205  allows enforcement by the board, upon failure of any appeal, to enforce the Statute 18-5-206  penalty of $750 PER DAY. 

County commissioners are the highest governmental authority in Park County, directly  accountable to the citizens of the county. Our problem is that they are only concerned about  how the general PUBLIC wants them to control what we rural property owners do with our  land.  

The only response I have received to the 24 questions of concerned rural property owners  submitted to all five commissioners is this, “While I usually answer correspondence on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, I am only responding for myself. Regarding 'water and private property rights' in Wyoming, I agree that water and private property rights are sacred; however, I do not believe that private property rights allow landowners to do anything they want at any time with their property; we need to balance property rights with the broader public interests in mind,” said Overfield. BROADER PUBLIC INTERESTS; the greater good. Sound like socialism?  

The nine citizens with questions at the Cody Auditorium meeting Aug. 5 were acknowledged only by Overfield, flanked by four mute commissioners, expressionless but for their rare and barely discernible head nods toward the speaker. It was very clear who is allowed or willing to speak to us.

Kay Anderson

Powell