Chouteau County Growth Policy Updated 2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS COUNTY COMMISSION Stan Klimas Bob Pasha Daren Schuster PLANNING BOARD Jerry Townsend, Chairman John Schipf Camille Good Trampus Corder Rick Anderson Alice K Honrud, Planner STAFF Alice K. Honrud, County Planner Bob Stevenson, Sanitarian Prepared with the Assistance of: Kathleen McMahon – Consultant Applied Communications www.appcom.net TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1: Overview • Planning Background • Planning Process • Issues Map • How to Use this Document Section 2: Goals & Policies • Population & Economics • Housing • Land Use • Natural Resources • Public Facilities • Local Services Section 3: Implementation • Overview • Tools & Techniques • Public Infrastructure Strategy • Action Plan • Intergovernmental Cooperation • Review & Updates • Subdivision Review Section 4: County Profile • Population • Economics • Housing • Land Use • Natural Resources • Public Facilities • Local Services Appendix • Survey Results Chouteau County Growth Policy -2017 OVERVIEW When Le wis an d C lark f irst r ecorded t he m agnificence of t he White C liffs al ong the M issouri River, they likely did not foresee that this point in their journey would be the launching grounds for much of the westward expansion that was to follow. Chouteau County is known as the birthplace of modern M ontana. F ort B enton, t he c ounty s eat, is t he o ldest per manent s ettlement i n the State. I t is i n t his c ounty, that early s ettlers, t he m ilitary and f ortune s eekers disembarked on steamboats and continued their journey west on routes with colorful names such as the Whoop Up Trail, Old Forts Trail and the Mullan Trail. Remnants of this past are still visible in the historic buildings and trail markers found throughout the County. Today's major travel routes, however, by-pass present day Chouteau County. There are no four- lane highways and no stop lights in any of its towns. Except for the expanses of grain crops that represent the region’s agricultural bounty, the landscape has changed little from its homesteading past. Chouteau County consistently ranks among the top wheat producing counties in the State. Its economy is c losely linked t o agr icultural yields and f arm ec onomics. D rought, c rop a nd livestock prices, and federal policies can have dramatic effect on the local economy. At t he height of i ts boom i n 192 0, t he C ounty's po pulation p eaked at 11, 051. P opulation has declined e very decade and i n 20 15, t he C ensus es timate w as 5, 767. O ut-migration, s maller families, improved farming technology that required a smaller labor force and regional population stagnation have all contributed to the population trends. Despite lack of growth, the County must still plan so it can effectively provide services a changing population. With fewer school age children and seniors living longer, this places new challenges for educ ation, ho using a nd s ervice providers. Water an d s ewer i nfrastructure t hroughout t he county is aging. While some communities have kept pace with upgrades, others must determine how to finance expensive improvements. The health of the local economy fluctuates significantly depending on agricultural production and regional population growth. The pl anning that i s done as p art of t he G rowth Policy Process will help decision m akers understand these trends and be prepared to respond accordingly. It will help identify partnerships, planning tools, and resources t hat can help address these issues. The plan provides a framework to maintain the rural character while responding to regional and national trends. I t is a po licy tool t hat will help C houteau County c ontinue t o m aintain t he h igh quality of l ife t hat attracted the early settlers. Overview - 1 Chouteau County Growth Policy - 2017 Figure 1: Chouteau County Key Features Map Rangeland Prepared by: Applied Communications, September 2004 Overview - 2 Chouteau County Growth Policy -2017 PLANNING BACKGROUND 1. Chouteau County History The area that is now Chouteau County was largely inhabited by the Indian tribes of the Blackfoot Nation when the Lewis and Clark expedition journeyed through the area in 1805. Conflicts with these tribes prevented the establishments of trading posts until an agreement was reached with the American F ur C ompany in 1830. Afterwards, f orts t o s erve b oth white an d I ndian t raders, who ex changed pe lts f or goods , were bu ilt al ong t he Mar ias and Missouri R ivers. Man y f orts were constructed and subsequently abandoned as hostilities with the Indians arose. Fort Benton was established and named after Missouri Senator Thomas Benton. In 18 60, 55 years af ter L ewis a nd C lark ex plored the r oute of t he M issouri R iver, t he f irst steamboat reached Fort Benton from St. Louis, MO. The town became the head of navigation on the longest river in North America and a major connection to the Northwest Territories. The chief items of trade were gold, buffalo hides, high grade ore, Indian blankets, guns, and whiskey. The gold stampede in 1867-1869 marked the height of the boom period for Fort Benton river trade, with thousands of m iners coming into and tons of gold dust going out of the town. September 29,1897 marked the demise of Missouri River traffic when the Manitoba Railway (later named the Great Northern) drove its silver spike at Fort Benton. As r iver t rade f aded, t he livestock boom bega n, and t housands of T exas l onghorn c attle were brought to Chouteau County on the Chisholm Trail. Records show that in 1885 100,000 cattle, 60,000 sheep, and 10,000 horses ranged south of the Maria's River. The following year severe winter blizzards claimed 50 to 95% of the herds, prey of the open range. By the mid 1890's Fort Benton arose as a major stock and wool shipping point. Extensive settlement of the Chouteau County area began in the early 1900's, intensified by the Homestead A ct of 190 9. By 1913 m ost of t he ar able l and was i n private o wnership. Steam powered engines were tilling the soil in the Carter area and the days of the open range were over. Small g rain f arming pr ospered u ntil t he bank c ollapse of t he early 1 920's broke hundr eds of homesteaders due to inflated land values, unhealthy farming practices and poor economic policies. Those who survived the crash improved their dryland farming techniques and continued to harvest high yields of small grains. By the mid 1920's, Chouteau County became the largest wheat producing county in Montana and consistently raises 10% of the state's total. Both winter and s pring wheat ar e gr own, as w ell as bar ley, oats, s unflower, s afflower, a lfalfa, and various certified seeds. The Mont ana T erritorial L egislature established Chouteau County on February 2, 1 865, nam ed for P ierre C houteau of t he A merican F ur C ompany. F ort B enton i s t he c ounty s eat. O ther incorporated t owns ar e B ig S andy and G eraldine. U nincorporated po pulation c enters i nclude Carter, Loma and Highwood. In 2015, the population estimate was 5,767 county residents. The county is home to the Chippewa-Cree tribe on the Rocky Boys Indian reservation, the Bear's Paw Mountains and is the gateway to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Overview - 3 Chouteau County Growth Policy -2017 2. Chouteau County Planning History Chouteau C ounty adopted a revised "Comprehensive Plan" for the County in 1997. Subsequently, t he C ounty r evised bo th i ts S ubdivision R egulations and Development per mit system. The County adopted a new Growth Policy in 2004. Since the last Growth P olicy was completed, Montana has amended the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) several times related to planning and subdivisions. Changes included the requirement for Growth Policies to address the “Wildland Urban Interface” and the gravel resources. The MCA also states that local jurisdictions should update their Growth Policy every five years. The Growth Policy was updated in 2009 a nd t his most current update was c ommenced in 2016, in c ompliance with this requirement. In a ddition t o t hese l egislative c hanges, t he western part of t he State of Mon tana ex perienced rapid population growth in the last decade. Counties found that regulations that were inadequate to ad dress m any c oncerns r elated c ommunity c haracter, i nfrastructure c osts, pr oviding local services to new subdivisions, and compatibility of uses. To deal with these issues, new planning tools have emerged that can help counties promote sustainable development. The County also participated i n the N orthCentral Montana R egional S ustainability P lan t hat w as funded by t he U.S. Department of Housing and Regional Development. The c ombination of l egislative c hanges, c oncern about p otential development i ssues, and t he opportunity to incorporate new planning techniques in the plan are reflected in this update. This plan r epresents t he C ounty's desire t o pr ovide f or f uture d evelopment t hat is c ost ef ficient t o serve, that will preserve the rural character of the county and that will protect the unique natural resources of the area.