Montezuma planning board had high hopes

I would like to thank the folks that turned out at the town board meeting in support of the dismissed Montezuma planning board. The planning board members have taken on a considerable responsibility in their planning efforts for our future community. All of us on the board have come to recognize that our community lacks character, continues to look and feel haphazard, has no planned future and has little to no code enforcement. Yet we pay taxes equal to some communities that are more progressive and are supported by more commercial businesses which employ more town residents and have a more pleasing sense of place.

As a newly-formed board, we had tried to revitalize our current zoning code, as it is outdated and has many contradictions. As directed by the town board, we were in the process of rewriting the current subdivision regulations and had started work on the new comprehensive plan. We have attended county planning-offered workshops to learn all we could.

We were actively engaged in discussions concerning the proposed CAFO pig farm, and through it all we have tried to communicate with the town board members to get them to work with us. We have repeatedly asked for information to be shared with us pertaining to any new development proposed through the code enforcement officer.