Crawford County commissioners approve countywide metes-and-bounds zoning and ban future wind projects

The Crawford County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously July 10 to adopt Full Metes and Bounds zoning for all unincorporated areas of Crawford County and separately voted to prohibit future wind projects in the county.

Zoning Administrator May Smith and Mr. Joshua Albin presented the proposed comprehensive zoning ordinance article‑by‑article and recommended handling changes article‑by‑article rather than approving an entire package at once. Commissioners and the presenters discussed definitions (including manufactured homes and accessory uses), enforcement mechanisms and administrative splits, and district standards for agricultural, rural residential and general commercial areas. Mr. Albin noted the draft includes conditional‑use provisions that would cover utility‑scale renewable energy projects.

Commissioner Carl Wood moved to approve Full Metes and Bounds Zoning of all unincorporated areas; Commissioner Tom Moody seconded the motion and the board recorded the motion as (26-319), which passed with Commissioners Wood, Moody and Blair voting in the affirmative. Shortly afterward, on motion (26-320) by Commissioner Bruce Blair, seconded by Commissioner Moody, the board voted unanimously to prohibit any future wind projects in Crawford County.

During discussion, Commissioners expressed concerns about enforcement capacity. Commissioner Wood asked who would police accessory‑use violations; Mr. Albin said Crawford County is complaint‑driven and that enforcement beyond complaints would require additional staffing or cooperation with the sheriff's office. County Counselor Jim Emerson and Mr. Albin noted enforcement tools in the draft include codes court and fine incorporation into tax statements. Mr. Bob Gilmore, speaking during the public portion of planning discussion, argued countywide zoning would allow case‑by‑case review and public input on controversial projects.

The board directed staff and the Planning and Zoning Board to prepare written instructions for amendments the commissioners want to see and requested those instructions be ready by July 21; Commissioners agreed to consider final ordinance action at a July 28 meeting. The motions recorded in the minutes (26-319 and 26-320) indicate the board's immediate policy direction but do not by themselves produce a final codified ordinance; the commission discussed next steps for drafting enabling language and scheduling formal ordinance adoption.

Authorities and statutory references noted in the meeting included citations to the Kansas statutes cited in the packet and discussion: K.S.A. 19-2921 and K.S.A. 19-2908 (agricultural exemptions) and the executive‑session statutes referenced elsewhere in the minutes (K.S.A. 75-4319 subsections). The minutes record the votes on the motions as unanimous (Yeas: Commissioners Wood, Moody and Blair) for both the zoning motion (26-319) and the wind prohibition (26-320).

The board scheduled follow-up review and requested written amendment proposals be submitted by July 21; a further vote on ordinance language was discussed for July 28. The Planning and Zoning Board and staff will return recommended text or changes for the commissioners' review.