Goals, Objectives and Strategies
We are committed to joining with all groups and individuals who are willing to step forward in a unified effort to stop the destructive development currently in progress. Our website contains links to websites of other organizations who share a vision of a better Bitterroot Valley than is currently underway. See our home page for links to other organizations.
We are currently researching the internet and county files in an attempt to discover the large numbers of developments that we believe are in the planning stages, above and beyond those already known in the public domain. We have legitimate sources outside of this valley who are asserting that these efforts may be directly connected to the promotion of I-154 in Montana, and with similar initiatives in other states across the western United States. There may be a concerted effort by New York Real Estate billionaire Howard Rich (sponsor of I-154), and his numerous corporate entities to use the potential approval of I-154 as a conduit for assailing the western states with an overwhelming number of large, high density developments immediately after states’ potential approval of their individual I-154-like initiatives. Fortunately, I-154 in Montana is currently stalled due to a Great Falls judge’s ruling that has removed it from the November ballot due to fraud and signature collection violations. We are also researching any financial or political connections between Richs’ efforts and corporate developers and realtors who are currently active in the valley.
The Bitterroot Valley is especially vulnerable to the successful pillage by these developers, for the following reasons:
- the absence of impact fees levied to developers, in Ravalli County,
- the absence of a viable, Ravalli County Growth Plan, which has been repeatedly delayed due to the clearly divided political views of many citizens, and because of severe “foot-dragging” on the part of our county leadership,
- our current insecurity about the potential passage of I-154 in the State of Montana, and particularly about its support in Ravalli County, and
- a prevalence of misinformation and cynicism among our fellow citizens.
We are also very concerned with the large expenditure of our tax moneys currently being used to subsidize these developments in our county, and have evidence of gross misuse of federal, state and county monies being funneled towards the developers. We are prepared to request assistance from the State Attorney General, if and when necessary. We are connected with groups outside of Ravalli County who are currently fighting the same corruption and political pipeline from Washington D.C. to the local communities of our nation. We have a nationally known attorney, an expert in land use planning and environmental litigation who has offered his services to us, if and when we contact him.
Short-term Objectives
We wish to compel our County Commissioners to represent their own constituents
above the interests of corporate developers, and move assertively to complete
a Ravalli County Growth Plan, regardless of the short term political capital
that they may risk by doing so.
We wish to compel the County Commissioners to immediately
- determine an impact fee schedule that reflects the needs of the community and reduces the flow of tax money in support of these developments,
- establish an accounting process to track development-related expenditures, and
- build the necessary governmental infrastructure to adequately assess the impacts of the developments on our valley, and to work diligently towards the completion of a Ravalli County Growth Plan.
Due to the overwhelming pressure being brought on our Commissioners by an ever-growing level of resistance, they have recently and wisely delayed review and approval of any new subdivisions that have not already been submitted to the county. We will be therefore focusing our effort on those subdivisions which have already been submitted for review, and re-visiting at least one subdivision that is already under construction, Arrow Hill Estate, which may have been approved illegally, and with very little public knowledge.