Disappointed But Not Discouraged: County Commission Votes No to Put Open Lands on Fall Ballot
You stood up for open land. You wrote emails, made phone calls, and added your name to a list alongside hundreds of your neighbors. Many of you attended a three hour public meeting last week to share your thoughts with our Gallatin County Commissioners in favor of letting the voters decide the future of the Open Lands Program. We heard you loud and clear. You care about this valley and you want open space, wildlife habitat, healthy rivers, farmland, scenic views, and growth management.
At the meeting last Tuesday, two of our County Commissioners strongly supported an Open Lands Bond going before the voters in November.
Unfortunately, a unanimous vote was needed to put the bond before the voters. Commissioner White voted no, citing the Law and Justice Center as a priority.
While we’re certainly disappointed, we’re not discouraged. The Commissioners have a challenging job balancing important community needs and priorities in one of the fastest growing counties in the country.
GVLT and partners will continue to work tirelessly on your behalf, using every resource in our tool box, to protect the open land we all love. It won’t be easy, but after hearing your voices and your support for open land, we’re more committed than ever to doing this work.
We remain proud to represent the values of our community and we will move forward, together. As your community land trust, this is our promise.
We are currently meeting with community members, supporters, partners, and local leaders to decide how we will move forward. Stay tuned for the next steps and ways you can help us protect the open land you love.