Washington County Planning & Zoning

Regular P & Z Commission Meeting March 18, 2025

COMMISSION MEMBERS:

Eric Johnson	Jeri Soulier	Ron Jaeger	Katie Rollins Debbie Warren
Donovan Galligar		Karen Powers	John Jensen

ADMINISTRATION: Bonnie Brent-Dowell, Planning & Zoning Administrator SECRETARY: Cindy Womack-Steele, Planning & Zoning Administrative Assistant

VISITORS: George Soulier, Bruce Winegar, Eileen Hamlin, Rex Hamlin, Jessi McKee, Joseph McKee

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER:

The March regular meeting of the Washington County Planning & Zoning Commission, held at the Washington County Courthouse, Board of County Commissioner’s meeting room in Weiser, Idaho was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman Ron Jaeger. The following proceedings took place:

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Led by Chairman Ron Jaeger.
ROLL CALL:
Eric Johnson X	Jeri Soulier	X	John Jensen X Debbie Warren X
Katie Rollins Absent	Ron Jaeger	X	Donovan Galligar X
Karen Powers X

APPROAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES:

February 18, 2025, minutes were approved, unanimously, as presented.

HEARINGS & DISCUSSIONS:

George & Jeri Soulier Special Use:

Requesting to put a secondary dwelling for a farm worker.

Chairman Ron Jaeger asked for any ex parte or conflict of interest communications.

P & Z Commission member, Jeri Soulier recused herself because she is the applicant. P & Z Administrator Bonnie Brent-Dowell read the legal notice into the record.

Chairman Ron Jaeger advised the commission and the public on hearing protocol.

P & Z Administrator Bonnie Brent-Dowell made a summary of the staff report for the Soulier special use request.

Applicant, Jeri Soulier, 1840 E Fork Road Weiser, ID , she and her husband are applying for a special use to move a temporary dwelling to help with farm or ranch work. They have 375 acres and have several splits available. We do not want to split it and we do not want to have anyone other than temporary ranch help live on the property. We have a friend who has come back in to our lives that can help us with the ranch work we are unable to do. We were going to have a tiny house but, in the meantime, we have

found a 1985 single wide manufactured home that we would like to temporarily put on our property for this friend. He has a 40’ cargo container to put behind the temporary house. We are hoping to stay there until we are not able to care for ourselves or we pass away.

Debbie asked, you said several times temporary house. It says in the code that a ranch house does not need to be listed as temporary, why did you choose this? Jeri responded that we don’t want it split off or make it comfortable to be split off. We don’t want anything that appears to be permanent, or that someone in the future will view this temporary housing site as a permanent home site.

John J. asked, then it will not have a foundation under it? Jeri stated that it will not. They have talked to Planning and Zoning and talked to the delivery people for the manufactured home and they can set it up any way we want. We don’t want anything permanent. We are putting a septic tank in because our house is too far away. We will share the well. We intend to put a pole barn over it in case of a heavy snow and for shade. But when the manufactured home leaves we will use the pole barn for our stock trailer and other things. The house will be on concrete blocks and tied down to code.

Karen asked, describe this foundation thing. Jeri said that there are a number of ways a foundation for a mobile home can be done. They typically do a solid concrete pad this home will be put on concrete blocks. We didn’t want to have a whole pad that we would have to have removed. Karen, you said right from the get go that it would be a tiny home, are we setting a precedent that we are allowing anyone allowing a home for a hired hand. Jeri replied that they originally were going to do a tiny home and then they found this manufactured home that is the same price and was going to be completed on the inside so it was a better deal. Jeri said her and George have talked about it, and some people have done this type of thing without going to P & Z and getting any permit or anything and they did not want to do that.

Eric asked how far this home will be from the power pole.

Applicant, George Soulier, 1840 E Fork Rd Weiser, replied the existing power pole approximately 200 feet and I think they are going to put a slack line from that pole to a new installation pole and then from there to the trailer.

Ron would entertain a motion to move into executive session.

Karen made the motion to move into executive session for the purpose of conferring with legal counsel.

Eric Johnson asked for discussion on the motion and stated he thinks it is completely unnecessary to have to go into executive session.

Donovan seconded the motion.

Roll Call vote: Debbie W. no, Donovan G. no, John J. no, Eric J. no, Karen Powers yay 4 no 1 yay motion failed.

Ron asked for discussion on the application.

Debbie, I think it is clear that is a use that is stated that it has been presented as a temporary dwelling and the applicant stated they are not trying to go around the code.

Karen, we don’t have a definition for temporary.

Debbie, I am going to bring up again that a farm/ranch house does not even actually need a special use and I understand the reason for it. Per code 5-4-1 G .

Karen stated that we do not have a definition of temporary. That is my only issue with this.

Eric moved that we send a recommendation of approval to the Board of County Commissioners. Per code 5-4-1 G.

Karen said all of this is talking about a tiny house, not a manufactured house. Do we need to do something different because it is on the application as a tiny house?

Eric withdrew his motion to send the recommendation of approval to the Board of Commissioners. Karen made the motion to move to executive session.

John Jensen seconded.

Roll call vote: Debbie no, Donovan no, John J. no, Eric J. no, Karen yes. Motion failed.

Debbie moves to recommend to the commissioners a favorable response to approve the Soulier’s special use, with applicable code 5-4-1 G, listing farm/ranch houses as a special use in a Al agricultural zone.

Washington county code 5-9 outlining the procedure to be followed before a special use permit may be granted and Washington county code 5-9-2 outlining the general standards applicable to special uses.

Donovan seconded the motion.

Roll call vote: Debbie yes, Donovan yes, John J. yes, Eric J. yes, Karen P. yes Motion passed.

Bruce Winegar Variance request:

Chairman Ron Jaeger asked for any conflict of interest or ex parte communications.

Jeri Soulier started she had driven past the property but did not speak to anyone and have any interest in the property.

P & Z Administrator Bonnie Brent-Dowell read the legal notice into the record.

P & Z Administrator Bonnie Brent-Dowell then read a summary of the staff report for the Winegar variance. She received some information from SW District Health, the septic system is on 2 properties and make sure that if either property sells that SW District Health should be notified, there should also be an easement put in place to access the drain field if the property sells.

Applicant, Bruce Winegar, 935 Ferrell Rd Weiser, proposing that if a one acre split is done it would include approximately 30-40’ of the farm field. He wants to sell the house, and the rest of the area would end up being a weed patch. I don’t want to lose the area in the field. The haystack is next to the house, and I want to split it off and not have weeds. New owners would have to haul in a bunch of fill to bring the ground to the east of the house up level. He should have a survey and then an imprint of the drain field and then he would grant the owners of the house an easement to have access to the rest of their drain field.

Donovan asked, “Where is the septic system now?” Bruce walked over and showed on the screen the current septic system. They put the tank in the same place the old septic had been. There is a car port that is going to be moved off the property. Donovan asked, is the other part of the property lower. Bruce stated approx., 40’, which is part of the farm field which is lower than the rest of the ground where the haystack and house are located.

Jeri asked if the shed that is over the drain field was put over the drain field? Bruce said yes, it is just a metal frame building that is where the previous people would put an RV when taking care of elderly parents.

Jeri, stated they used to put houses on one acre and you have certain types of soil and they can cross contaminate. She is worried about setting a precedent for other people wanting to go to a half-acre. Bruce responded that he had more splits although splits don’t mean building permits. We don’t want to sell anything. It is a money pit. I don’t want to own this old farmhouse, and I want to be rid of it.

Jeri asked, so the drain field, .. .you would give a future owner the easement to put a new septic drain field into your haystack yard. What happens if they have a problem and need to get to their drain field. Bruce responded, if I gave them the easement, I would be obligated to give them access and move my haystack. In the future if I am not around, I have 3 boys that will inherit the place from me and so for the next 60 years it will be owned by people with the same mindset as me.

Chairman Ron Jaeger stated, “so in our code there must be an undue hardship.” Bruce replied, “it’s just an inconvenience. We can see the little 4 and 5 acre weed patches that land owners have because they don’t take care of the extra acres and I don’t want to see that happen. If I am allowed to keep it as farm ground we will probably put up a privacy fence by the house so that it blocks the view of the farming activity.”

Debbie stated, “our code says that no farm or ranch building would be within 15’ of the property line.” Bruce stated he would have it surveyed and will make sure it is 15’ feet from the new property lines.

John Jensen, I can think of a hardship, being a land lord and having tenants is a problem. Bruce stated that the previous tenants took out the fireplace and didn’t cap it off so starlings are flying in to the house.

Chairman Ron Jaeger closed the hearing at 8:02 p.m.

Karen made the motion to move to executive session for the purpose of conferring with legal counsel. No second, motion died.

Discussion: Donovan Galligar stated he thinks we need to stick with the one acre minimum.

Debbie stated that she has gone over the code, it has to show undue hardship, and I don’t believe that has been proven so I couldn’t approve that.

John Jensen agrees with Debbie. I would deny it as well.

Jeri made the motion to recommend a denial to the Board of County Commissioners that this does not show undue hardship for the variance per code 5-18-4 D 1 & 2.

Debbie seconded the motion.

Roll call vote: Jeri S. yes, Debbie W. yes, Donovan G. yes, John J. yes, Eric J. yes, Karen P. yes. Motion passes unanimously.

Bruce asked what a hardship would be. Ron stated that we have done one previously based on the

properties description.

Jeri made the motion to adjourn. Eric seconded the motion.

Motion passed unanimously. Adjourn at 8:09 p.m.

Minutes submitted by Cinthia Womack-Steele