VISION STATEMENT
Boundary County has traditionally been home to a proud, hard-working and independent people who worked with what was available to eke a living from an isolated and often inhospitable land. This legacy lives today, and people here ask and expect little from government except the freedom to pursue their livelihoods and happiness with minimal interference. Boundary County recognizes and respects this spirit of independence.
It is also recognized that those attracted to this area by those very attributes expect county government to assure them basic levels of service and assurance that those attributes that brought them here will be protected.
Boundary County government recognizes that some land use regulation is necessary, but that it is not its place to deny through excessive regulation the right of any property owner the opportunity to use their land in their own best interest.
Instead, Boundary County government trusts in the wisdom of its citizens and their desire to be good neighbors to protect and preserve those values we all hold dear.
Boundary County policy is not to overly regulate the rights of individual property owners, but to welcome ideas and initiative and to foster open discourse, such that all concerns may be heard and considered so as to achieve a balance that serves the diverse interests of all.
Through the development of this Comprehensive Plan, Boundary County recognizes the following:
That Boundary County government serves the will and interests of its citizens; that those citizens have the right to enjoy use of their property as well as the assurance that laws established will be applied equally and without bias;
That the desire expressed by those who participated in this process is to live in a sparsely populated, relatively undeveloped agricultural community, surrounded by an unspoiled forested countryside.
That the citizens of Boundary County value the intangible assets that our natural surroundings provide; wide swaths of farm and forest dotted here and there with a home or a farmstead; land abundant in wildlife, good water and fertile soils, open to the beauty of the night sky. That when help is needed, it is neighbors who will be there first;
That the natural resources of Boundary County are finite;
That most citizens of Boundary County, but not all, have need of roads, water and other amenities so as to enable them to live comfortably;
That the citizens of Boundary County must have the means to earn a living to support themselves and their families, and that the citizens of this county, through their own initiative, education, talent and skill, are the best arbiters in determining the economic needs of Boundary County and their place in it;
That the government of Boundary County, Idaho, by virtue of jurisdiction and powers granted by the State of Idaho, has the authority and obligation to establish local land use law sufficient to achieve the objectives established herein.
Boundary County will discharge its obligation reasonably and fairly, imposing the least restriction needed to attain the goals established by this Comprehensive Plan.