Cascade County will begin accepting applications Monday for the remaining vacancy on the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Earlier this week, the County Commission voted to remove all special application conditions.

Previously, commissioners had advertised the ZBOA vacancy with specific qualifying requirements.

County Commission removes criteria for ZBOA applicants, decides to readvertise for remaining vacancy

“Those requirements were intended to ensure an impartial and unbiased candidate pool, whose members are likely to be rendering a decision on the Madison Food Park proposal sometime in the future,” according to county release.

Now the county will readvertise for the remaining vacancy without any conditions and “it will be the commissioners’ duty to select the best qualified applicant to serve on this important decision-making board,” Commissioner Jane Weber said in a release.

Hearing canceled in lawsuit against Cascade County over zoning board appointments

The five members of the ZBOA are appointed by the County Commissioners to a three-year term and serve without compensation. The county attempts to stagger those terms. 

The vacant position has a term through December 2019.

County provides additional information on reasoning behind ZBOA criteria

The ZBOA has exclusive power and authority to independently hear and decide zoning appeals and applications for zoning variances and special exceptions such as the Special Use Permits.

Applications for the ZBOA position are available online at http://www.cascadecountymt.gov or in the commission office.

Applications must be hand-delivered to the Cascade County Commission office in the Courthouse Annex at 325 2nd Ave. N. by 5 p.m. May 1.

Commissioners plan to make the appointment during their regularly scheduled meeting at 9:30 a.m. on May 8.

Short declines ZBOA appointment, creating a new vacancy

Any previous applicant wanting to be considered must resubmit an application.

For additional information about the ZBOA appointment, contact the County Attorney’s Office at 454-6915 and ask for Deputy County Attorney, Carey Ann Haight. 

For information about the status of the Madison Food Park Special Use Application, contact the Cascade County Planning Office at 454-6905.