To zone or not to zone that is the question circulating through Labette County.
There are at least nine different renewable energy industries interested in the county, including lithium batteries, wind and solar. Labette County Zoning Administrator Mel Haas says zoning is the best way to control these industries coming into the county. Haas says the goal of county-wide zoning is not to control every aspect of the lives of citizens in the county.
Zoning and the zoning board are not new for Labette County, both have been around since at least 2010 for zoning of the Great Plains Industrial Park. This current board has been in place since September 19th, 2022 after being inactive since 2017. Commissioner Terry Weidert selected and appointed the five members of the board and the commission voted 2-1 to approve those appointments, with Commissioners Weidert and Lonie Addis voting yes and Commissioner Cole Proehl voting no. At the time, Commissioner Proehl said he voted no because he wanted public input on the members of the board.
The next public hearing of the Labette County Planning and Zoning Board is Monday, June 24th at 6:00pm at the Parsons Municipal Building.
