RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Washakie County Board of County
Commissioners (“the Board”) is charged under State law with promoting the
health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and general welfare of
the present and future inhabitants of Washakie County, Wyoming; and
WHEREAS, the Board has participated in and kept
apprised of the progress being made toward meeting the immediate and future
needs of the County’s residents by gaining input from multiple sources for
information, sought appropriate legal advise and input from professionals; and
WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the best interests and the general welfare of this County will be served by revising the Land Use Plan adopted by the County in 1978. The statutory pre-requisites for adoption of revisions to the aforesaid plan have been completed, and the Board has been fully advised in the premises from the County’s Planning Commission’s certified Revised Plan; including review of the said Revised Plan by outside legal counsel.
NOW THEREFORE;
Be it resolved and enacted; The
Board finds and concludes the revisions to the Land Use Plan adopted by the
County in 1978 are in proper form and have been drafted in accordance with W.S.
§18-5-202; and
Be it further resolved and enacted;
The Board finds and concludes pictures, maps and graphs are not
substantive to the public policies adopted in these revisions, but rather are
illustrative of and are in support of those policies.
Therefore, the Board will determine the pictures, graphs, and maps as
part of its determination and decision for publication of this Revised
Comprehensive Plan.
Be it finally resolved and enacted;
The Board adopts and ratifies the attached “Revised Comprehensive
Plan”, which consists of the certified plan adopted by the Washakie County
Planning Commission with changes and updates contained in that certain
comparison presented to the Board and made a part of these proceedings; the same
to be put in final form for publication and distribution so it can become
effective as of July 1, 2004.
APPROVED
AS TO FORM:
Office
of the Washakie County Attorney
By:
_________________________________
G. Albert Sinn
County Attorney
BY
THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR WASHAKIE COUNTY, WYOMING:
_______________________________________
William L. Glanz, Board Chairman
____________________________________
____________________________________
Terrence D. Wolf, Member
John Dent, Member
Definition.
A comprehensive plan is a document that generally helps
guide the type, location, and appearance of community growth and change.
The plan represents the goals, policies, and intentions of the local
government, which adopts it. Comprehensive plans provide policies and recommendations,
which give direction to local government officials in making subsequent
decisions. It is the authoritative
resource leaders are able consult and rely on in determining a cohesive,
coherent, approach to such issues as land use, transportation, natural
resources, public land uses, economic development, and intergovernmental
cooperation.
The State of Wyoming has provided specific enabling
legislation to prepare and amend a land use plan, including zoning.
The comprehensive plan is the anchor used to formulate the rest of the
plan to promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of the
unincorporated areas of the county. W.S.
§18-5-202(b)
This comprehensive plan is intended to diagram, or
“blueprint” the expectations the County has for itself; providing guidance
for development and change. In this
case, the County first adopted a comprehensive land use plan in 1978, so this
plan is to be known as “the Revised Plan”.
It is a countywide plan directly applicable to all of Washakie County,
and indirectly applicable to the municipalities, and other local governmental
and quasi-governmental units within the County.
Within the plan are maps, graphs and references to authoritative sources
that cannot be reproduced herein, but which are a valuable resource and
explanatory material crucial to effective implementation of this plan.
What it is not:
Since a comprehensive plan seeks to define community goals
based on a combination of scientific data, the desires of the public, and the
wishes of private property owners, its function is to make policy
recommendations. Although a local
government may adopt a plan, that plan is not self-actuating.
Steps to implement the plan must be taken.
One of those steps may be adoption of a zoning resolution, which is just
one tool local government has to assure the “status quo” and maintain those
values and policies reflected in the comprehensive plan.
Washakie County belongs to an economic development district
(“EDD”), known as the Big Horn Mountain Country Coalition (“the
Coalition”). For the County to
qualify for project funding from the Economic Development Administration (“EDA”),
it must belong to an EDD and the Coalition, in turn, is obliged to adopt a
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (“CEDS”) every five (5) years
setting forth various anticipated projects that might need funding.
Washakie County participated in the CEDS process, but not as part of the
adoption of this Revised Plan. The
two are not to be confused. This
Revised Plan has not been created as local support for the CEDS, but it may
overlap and contain elements of the CEDS; as follows:
v
Describes
the problems, needs, potential and resources of the County;
v
Presents
the County’s vision and goals;
v
Sets
the strategic direction for an action plan;
v
Establishes
the priority programs and projects for implementation; and
v
Outlines
the standards for evaluation and update of the process.
A CEDS draws from a regional economic development
perspective, while the Revised Plan seeks to establish County public policy to
further local health, safety and general welfare. The Revised Plan is written to compliment the CEDS, and in
the event of a conflict of priorities or policy, the more recent document is
intended to control.
Purposes.
The County’s 1978 Land Use Plan (“the 1978 Plan”)
states it should be updated every three (3) years.
There have been no changes, amendments or updates of any kind adopted
over the life of the 1978 Plan. However,
great changes have taken place; changes the County has not stopped to reflect on
or adapt to over the years. The implications for the health, safety and general welfare
of County residents is the driving force behind the revisions set forth herein.
The 1978 Plan probably does not reflect the public’s vision of itself, and no
longer serves as a guiding force for charting a course for the County.
Therefore, Washakie County is taking this action for the following public
purposes:
v To establish a more consistent and defensible decision making process.
v To manage economic and demographic change occurring since 1978.
v To provide a sound basis in public policy to update outdated land use regulations.
v To make local government more efficient and attuned to taxpayer needs and expectations.
v To preserve the local character of the community.
v To build on the work done in the 1978 Land Use Plan
As one can see throughout this document, the Revised Plan
does not abandon public policies adopted in the 1978 Plan, but builds on and
adapts those policies to meet today’s needs and concerns.
For instance, the Revised Plan seeks to use information from the 1978
Plan and additional information gained since to describe the custom and culture
of the community, and create a guiding force in public land management
decision-making. Significant
factors associated with the community’s custom and culture is outlined with as
much particularity as possible. In addition, two public policies identified in the 1978 Plan
are focal points of the Revised Plan and are set forth as follows:
1.
Protect property values; and
2.
Protect productive irrigated farmland from conversion to
other uses.
Acreage
(in acres):
Private:
341,018
24.10% Total area:
2,242.75*
Bureau of Reclamation
3,240
.002% Total Water area:
2.69*
National Forest
35,230 2.40% Total Land
Area:
2,240.06*
BLM
928,476 66.74%
State of Wyoming
95,044
6.56%
* totals are given in sq. miles
City
2,624
.001%
Other
91,216
6.82%
Total:
1,337,680
100.0%
Agriculture Statistics
(WASS data published September 2002):
Number of Farms & Ranches 205
Total Acres in Farms & Ranches
450,000
Total acreage assessed as “Ag”
357,100
Total Cropland Acres
58,000*
Average Size of Farm or Ranch
2,195
Value of Land & Buildings (per farm)
$887,000
*
The “Westside” Project described in the County’s history below will
substantially increase cropland.
Agriculture County
Rankings (WASS data published January 1, 2003):
Commodity
Actual Numbers
Rank
Yield (if applicable)
All Cattle (head)
30,000 19th
Breeding Sheep & Lambs
13,000 10th
All Hay (tons)
50,000 12th
3.3
Barley (bu)
1,160,000
2nd
87
Oats (bu)
NP* 13th
NP*
Corn for Grain (bu)
158,000
4th
144
Dry Beans (cwt)
25,800
5th
1,980
Sugarbeets (tons)
149,700
2nd
19.7
Total Cash Receipts $29,120,000
17th
*
NP (Not Published)
Population
Characteristics:
2000 Census Data
1990 Census Data
Rural 3,046 2,646
City of Worland
5,250
5,742
Town of Ten Sleep
304
311
Seniors – 65 and Older (%)
14.9
13.9
School Enrollment
2,112
2,130
People with a Disability
657
641
People in the labor force (16 & over)
3,963
3,963
Percentage of White
92.2%
93.7%
Percentage of Hispanic or Latino*
11.5%
9.5%
Percentage of Black or African
0.1%
.2%
Percentage of American Indian & Alaskan
1.6%
.7%
Percentage of Asian
1.0%
NA
Percentage of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Is.
0.1%
NA
Percentage of some other race
7.2%
4.8%
Percentage of high school graduates
85.6%
78.8%
Percentage of bachelor or higher degrees
18.7%
18.4%
School Enrollment (3 years and older)
2,112
2,130
Median Age
39.4
34.6
Persons per Square Mile Density
3.7**
3.7**
Total: County
Population
8,289*** 8,388***
*
Hispanic and Latino populations are a racial sub-category within the
designation “White”. Therefore,
the percentage of White people also includes Hispanic and Latino populations.
**
By U.S. Census standards a density of 3 to 6 people @ sq. mile is
considered “Frontier”. As a
State, Wyoming has a population density of 5.2 people @ sq. mile.
Below 3 people @ sq. mile, the density is considered “Wilderness”.
***The
total population of Washakie County in 1980 was 9,496.
It peaked thereafter in 1982 at 10,143.
Although the County has experienced sporadic gains in population between
1980 and 2000; generally the County’s population declined by more than 20% in
20 years. The population of the
County is predicted to continue this trend, dropping below 8,000 in 2005.
The population is projected to be 7,900 by 2010; the lowest it’s been
since 1972.
Economic Attributes:
2000 Census Data
1990 Census Data
Median Household Income
$34,943.00
$25,172.00
Average Household size
2.47
2.61
Median Male Earned Income $31,633.00
Median Female Earned Income
$21,028.00
Average Earnings per job
$23,131.00
Average Non-Farm Proprietor Income $14,218.00
Per Capita Income
$25,428.00
$17,780.00
Average per capita retail sales
$6,753.00
Median Home Value
$83,600.00
$54,600.00
Total Housing Units
3,654
3,732
City of Worland
2,334
Town of Ten Sleep
158
Total Occupied Housing Units
3,278
3,156
Mobile Homes (%)
14.2%
15.4%
Single Family detached (%) 74.6%
72.6%
Owner Occupied (%)
73.1%
71.8%
Anecdotal Socio-Economic
Factors Indicating Revisions are Necessary:
In the five (5) years following passage of the 1978 Plan, per capita median income rose steadily. Wages and income levels exceeded both State and national averages, and the 1978 Plan reflected the optimism of its youthful ambitious population. Since then, although real wages and incomes have continued to grow, comparisons with State and national averages reversed. Presently, the County is significantly below both State and national averages for household income, per capita median income, and wage levels. In recent years, the County has been designated as “distressed” by the Economic Development Administration. High unemployment and low-income levels have been exacerbated for extended periods in recent years. Washakie County has been recognized nationally for those attributes by being designated a “distressed” community.
Unemployment percentages dropped as people left, which shifted the supply and demand for wage earners. Now, those employed are generally over-qualified and under-paid. High wage and income levels, which attracted young people to Washakie County in 1978, are now found out-of-State. Washakie County income levels are about 85% of the State average, and the State average is less than the national average. From 1990 to 2000, the County only lost 1.2% of its population, but the 24-35 age demographic dropped by 34%; a significant loss in the vitality of any community. These are the childbearing years so school enrollment levels have also suffered.
The latest estimates show the County losing residents at the rate of 2.3% a year. As a consequence, the County is experiencing a phenomenon known as “aging in place”. With all other age groups remaining the same, less young adults and children raises the average age of the County’s population as a whole. It follows that seniors represent a significant percentage of the population (note the change in median age shown in the Fact Sheet). In fact, those over 65 now represent approximately twenty percent (20%) of the County’s population.
During the boom years of the late 70’s and early 80’s,
a number of rural subdivisions were laid out in response to the County’s rapid
growth. Growth, as an influx of new
residents later stalled, but rural subdivisions continued to be formed, and the
lots sold for several more years.
In 2002, the State loosened the requirements for forming a
subdivision by creating a category for “minor subdivisions” of five (5) lots
or less. This change, coupled with
the anticipated availability of potable water, reinvigorated the movement toward
creating rural subdivisions. Since
the County adopted regulations for the formation of minor subdivisions, eight
have been formed. No major subdivisions have been formed in the County in over
ten (10) years. The cumulative
affects of this trend have yet to be realized, but some consequences of note
follow:
First, while both municipalities lost population in the
1990’s (approximately 10%), the rural County population increased by
approximately seventeen percent (17%). The
number of second homes also increased in the rural areas in and against the
mountains. Residential construction
in unincorporated areas is far out-stripping the incorporated area construction;
last year (2002) there was twenty (20) new homes built in the County, and only
three (3) in the two municipalities combined.
This trend seems to be continuing in 2003.
Second, the 1978 Plan indicated problems bringing the
County into compliance with the State’s septic installation and operation
requirements. These problems
persist, but now there are substantially more homes requiring septic systems. Informal estimates indicate there may be as many as eight
hundred (800) septic systems operating in the County, but less than three
hundred (300) of those are permitted. Demand
for septic waste disposal facilities is increasing, but fewer facilities are
willing to take septic waste. Right
now, there are no septic waste dump facilities in the County.
The towns of Thermopolis and Basin, which now receive septic waste from
Washakie County, have given notice they may stop this practice at any time.
Third, the housing stock has changed substantially since
1978. There are increasing numbers
of modular homes, rather than “stick-built” homes. The County has no condominiums (a condominium project is
planned for Worland), and the first town homes were just built in 2002.
These changes, plus the loss in population, the accompanying lower income
levels, and the lack of confidence in building quality, have taken a toll on
home values. While nationally, home
values are increasing at an annualized rate of four percent (4%); here home
values are static. As the County’s population continues to age, demand for
single-family homes is likely to fall, while the need for senior housing will
increase.
The Washakie County Planning Commission (“the
Commission”) prepared the Washakie County Revised Comprehensive Plan (“the
Revised Plan”) using a philosophy that:
v
Encourages
input and participation from all citizens for Washakie County throughout the
process,
v
Represents a consensus of the widely differing interests
and concerns within the County,
v
Develops
new approaches and techniques that avoid the problems of traditional land use
planning, and
v
Recognizes
that uses for private property shall remain inviolate in accordance with the
Wyoming Constitution (Article 1, §§ 6, 7, 32, and 33).
Community Custom and
Culture:
Definition:
The custom and culture of Washakie County is defined by the
activities and values residents, past, present and future, who derive their
well-being and subsistence from it. These
values and activities are what make Washakie County unique.
Washakie County recognizes it’s custom and culture is based on
traditional values and activities subject to gradual continuous change by
various influences incurred by succeeding generations.
Therefore, this comprehensive plan must continue to be a “work in
progress” reflecting changes as they occur.
Public policy is set accordingly to either promote or dissuade how those
changes affect our custom and culture.
Integral to the values and activities that create
well-being and provide subsidence is the land.
Private property and the rights and privileges residents have come to
rely on in all land are central to the custom and culture of Washakie County, as
follows:
v
Agriculture
(farming, irrigation, livestock grazing, etc.)
v
Recreation
and related tourist activities (motorized and non-motorized transport and
activities, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, water and land
sports, hiking, wildlife viewing, etc.)
v
Industry
(mining, power production, oil and gas production and exploration, timbering)
v
Water
(agricultural uses, industrial uses, recreational uses, power, domestic uses,
and general water resource development and conservation)
v
Intangible
Values (historical and cultural sites, open space values and access to open
space, aesthetic values, conservation, entrepreneurial values)
Washakie County, through a series of community assessments,
surveys, reports and public meetings, has determined what makes it unique –
it’s custom and culture. The
history of the County is set forth elsewhere; however, it was through the
historical events, which brought farmers, ranchers, and the energy companies
that molded and formed the custom and culture the community enjoys today.
For instance, the boom and bust cycles common to the western states,
impacted Washakie County; both positively and negatively.
However, the greatest continuing outside influence on the
County has been and will continue to be the federal government.
Federal government agency jurisdiction over public land and irrigation
water sources is fundamental to the County’s economic structure.
The federal government’s program of “payments in lieu of taxes”
(“PILT”), farm subsidies, social security benefits, and other such programs
cannot be relied on as consistent revenue sources.
In spite of the precarious nature of these programs, federal policies
resonate at every level and reach even the remote corners of the County.
Finally, the presence of so many federal employees and offices represents
a major sub-culture, and economic stimulus.
General Planning Goals.
v The goal of the Revised Plan is to involve citizens in establishing guidelines and criteria for future utilization of the land on an on-going basis. The goal is flexible. It is expected to evolve as the needs and desires of County residents change. By creating processes and policies rather than irrevocable decisions, it is expected the County can better adapt to its future and enhance the ability of residents to sustain their custom and culture.
v The Commission is not generally concerned about where specific land uses are located in the County, but rather how and when land uses will affect residents. Performance standards and policies will be used to determine how and when future utilization of lands will take place and most benefit the community as a whole.
v Community perceptions and the physical capabilities of the land (such as geography, geology, soil conditions, and drainage patterns) rather than population projections will guide primary land use planning.
v The Revised Plan will also provide a tool to reduce public costs and mitigate private conflicts.
v The Revised Plan is intended to maintain historic land use patterns on public land as a means of stabilizing existing economic uses and keeping the character of the community intact. It is important to retain the rural character of unincorporated areas, and the individuality of the County’s two municipalities.
General Development Policies
The following are the general policies of the Revised Plan for development of unincorporated areas:
1. Overall Growth and Development. Washakie County will strive to turn around adverse economic trends occurring in recent years. The County intends to maintain and encourage a moderate sustainable growth rate. The County is committed to building on its diversified economic base by working through and in support of the Washakie Development Association (“WDA”), the Washakie Area Chamber of Commerce and the Big Horn Mountain Country Coalition.
2. Industrial and Commercial Development Policy. Washakie County will encourage new industrial and commercial development compatible with the existing economy. To assure compatibility and the continued health, safety and general welfare of the public, new industrial and commercial development projects will be subject to public review based on standards and criteria appropriately adopted for that purpose; and shall include, but not be limited to the following:
i. Adequate buffer zones to mitigate impacts on adjoining properties from odor, noise, and particulates.
ii. Adequate screening of waste, parts, and other personal property, which negatively impact the value of adjoining properties.
iii. Adequate mitigation of the cost for public services, including water, sewer, roads, fire and law enforcement protection.
iv. Adequate bonding to prevent residual problems should the industrial or commercial use cease to continue.
i. Creation of a system of hiking and biking trails;
ii. Secure better access to public land;
iii. Recognition of a stock trail system for seasonal movement of livestock;
iv. Development of river amenities for recreation and flood control;
v. Improved efficient road system serving local commerce;
vi. Expansion of the Worland Municipal Airport;
vii. Fully funded reliable public passenger bus service; and finally;
viii. Revive rail service as a part of the community’s economic and social fabric.