Finney County adopts Article 36 to create special‑use permit process and approves SUP application materials

Finney County commissioners on Feb. 17 approved amendments to the county zoning regulations to establish Article 36, a new special‑use permit (SUP) process for land uses that may have unique or countywide impacts, and also approved the corresponding SUP application materials for immediate administration.

Mackenzie Phillips, Development and Administrative Coordinator, told the board Article 36 creates a base application and category‑specific supplemental forms (the first finalized supplements are for commercial solar energy systems and battery energy storage systems). The Planning Commission held a public hearing on Feb. 9 and recommended approval by a 7–0 vote; staff advised the board that state and county law allow protest petitions to be filed through Feb. 23, 2026 and that sufficient petitions could change the board’s required vote threshold.

Legal counsel identified minor language edits to ensure consistent terminology (for example, replacing references to "planning staff" with "zoning administrator" and using the term "governing body" in place of various board labels). Staff recommended adoption with counsel’s changes; commissioners voted to override and adopt the amendments and, after returning from an executive session, approved the SUP application forms as presented.

The board’s action does not itself change the statutory protest timeline; if sufficient protest petitions are filed in the allotted period, a higher‑threshold vote would be required to finalize the amendments. The effective date for Article 36 will be the date of publication in the official county newspaper, projected as Feb. 24, 2026, unless the statutory protest process results in a different outcome.

Next steps: staff will publish the adopted resolution and approved application forms online and in the Garden City Telegram and will present additional supplemental application forms for other special‑use categories to the board when ready.