Regulations for horse facilities set for hearing

November 11, 2009

By JoAn Bjarko

The Wellington

 

Debate and compromise among people with varied interests in horses have generated better ideas for regulating horse businesses, and Larimer County should adopt them, several group members said at a Nov. 3 meeting.

In what was described as “10 raucous meetings” over eight months, a volunteer group appointed by the county commissioners worked to revamp the county’s regulations for operating horse business facilities. The existing regulations were adopted more than 20 years ago.

“I hope they hear our input makes sense, and there are enough of us telling them it makes sense,” said group member Barry Feldman, who owns a horse boarding facility near Wellington (Colorado).

Nobody at the group’s fourth public meeting defended the current regulations on commercial horse facilities, but some said they would rather have no regulations.

“If we don’t give them (county officials) an alternative, they will have to enforce the existing regulations,” said group member Wendy Chase. “We have put our hearts and souls into finding some common ground that we could support.”

“The question is, do you like this proposal better than what we have,” said Linda Hoffmann, director of the county’s Rural Land Use Center, which headed up the study.

All county residents, including people who live next to horse facilities, are invited to give their opinions about the recommendations in public hearings scheduled by the volunteer planning commission and then by the elected county commissioners, who make the final decision.

The Larimer County Planning Commission will hold its hearing on the recommendations of the Working Group for the Horse Business Facilities Regulations study on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 6:30 p.m. in the first-floor hearing room of the courthouse offices building, 200 W. Oak St. in Fort Collins. The county commissioners’ hearing is tentatively set for Dec. 14.

The proposed changes focus on the types of county review horse facilities have to undertake to become legally operating businesses. Existing regulations require a uniform level of review when a horse facility becomes a commercial enterprise. The working group has recommended four levels of review based on size and impact of the business.

The recommendations also change definitions of horse business facilities and suggest a transition program to get existing businesses into legal status with the county. Key to the one-year transition program is a reduction in fees for county review.

Throughout the process, the working group focused on keeping horse businesses viable while still protecting the property rights of neighbors, Hoffmann said.

Some in the audience questioned whether the county would adopt the recommended changes.

“If you come to the public hearing and say, ‘I like what I see,’ the commissioners will hear you,” said group member LuAnn Goodyear, who owns a stable north of Fort Collins.

Those interested in comparing the county’s existing rules with the proposed changes can find the information online at www.larimer.org/horses.