RESERVATION REZONE: More to the story

My Turn writer, John Hippler, reflecting on Dave Oliveria’s column about the history of Tubbs Hill, is proud of his father, Vern Hippler, a Coeur d’Alene city councilor “back in the day,” who with others, opposed commercial development of Tubbs Hill. Rightly proud of his dad as a “visionary,” he encourages the current Board of County Commissioners to, essentially, be like his dad and “do the right thing” regarding the question to rezone some 25,000 acres on the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s reservation. The problem is, John didn’t get the whole story. (Kids these days; they just. don’t. listen!)

The whole story about Tubbs Hill, John, is that Tubbs Hill was purchased!

The whole story about the rezone of private property (almost half of the 25,000 acres) within the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s reservation is that it proposes to just take, with the stroke of a pen, the value of the right to divide private property. The established zoning “contract” with the owners would be breached.

On this November’s ballot we’ll be asked if we want to pass a bond levy that would provide the county $50 million with which the county can purchase open space. I encourage John to do the right thing: embrace and promote the proposal, get it passed, and make his daddy proud.

J.W. MALLOY

Post Falls