Predictions are "that over the next 20 years we could see 30,000 new residents, living in Lewis and Clark County."

The addition of 30,000 new residents will have an incredible impact on our way of life. These new citizens will be expecting and demanding at least the same level of services and access to the community that we enjoy today. It is incumbent on today's leaders to plan for the expected growth that we will experience.

Planning is a word that sometimes gets lost in all of the conversation surrounding zoning, wastewater treatment systems, interim zoning, development standards, road improvements and working groups. In reality these terms describe what planning is all about. They are the tools we use to manage and service growth as it comes to Lewis and Clark County.

As county commissioners, we recognize the serious need for planning and for the implementation of the management tools necessary to maintain the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens that live here. We understand that we have a responsibility to protect and maintain clean sources of water for our residents. We acknowledge the need for adequate roads and transportation routes that will meet our transportation needs today, as well as those needs projected years into the future.

We hope to accomplish the goal of defining land uses and population densities through the zoning of specific areas of our county, allowing for predictability and sustainability to growth patterns. We are committed to meeting the needs of our changing county by using the planning and management tools afforded us by state law.

Last May, the county commission passed and implemented interim zoning to address a critical water emergency in the Helena Valley. Though necessary, interim zoning regulations are just that, interim. Interim zoning is not the long-term solution for the important issues that we face with the groundwater in the valley. One of the tools that must be part of the long-term solution is comprehensive zoning.

For more than two years, the county has backed the efforts of a local Development Standards Working Group that has been laboring over a comprehensive zoning package, in an effort to add predictability, sustainability and management to anticipated growth. As county commissioners, we fully support the efforts of those DSWG members that remain committed to developing meaningful, creative and sustainable solutions to growth-related issues.

County staff members that are working with the DSWG have informed us that though a few differences remain, the group has made significant progress toward agreeable solutions. It is our understanding that it is the goal of the members to have a document before the public and the commission by the end of the calendar year.

In addition to the DSWG, Lewis and Clark County seeks to invest millions of dollars into infrastructure while continuing to work closely with neighborhoods and citizens to create septic maintenance districts. Through the tracking and proper maintenance of existing wastewater systems as well as the use of new technologies, we are committed to ensuring unwanted pollutants do not continue to threaten our drinking water supply. We believe that merely approving standard septic systems without taking into account available technologies and projected build-out densities is irresponsible and a violation of our duty to ensure the health, safety, welfare and fiduciary oversight on behalf of the citizens of Lewis and Clark County.

In many parts of our county, we drive on roads that are below the current county road standard. There has been much debate questioning where the responsibility for road improvements should fall. This question is complicated, and there is no simple answer. Regardless of recent assertions to the contrary, the county does not require developers to correct our community's road problem. The county does require developers to participate in improving roads where necessary, and is bound by statute to assist in the improvement of substandard roads that may be impacted by growth.

The commission is faced with difficult decisions regarding roads. Circumstances dictate that we may not be able to require developers to improve roads and yet, for safety reasons, we have a responsibility to ensure that development takes place on roads that meet the county road standard. For this reason the county has invited the assistance of several community members with road development experience to participate in the search for a solution.

We recognize that economic growth is a positive thing for our county. We will always support and promote smart and healthy growth in Lewis and Clark County. Our future depends on maintaining well-thought-out and planned growth. Though economic growth is essential for the longevity and sustainability of the community, we believe we must grow in a way that balances the economic benefits with the health, safety and welfare concerns of county citizens.

Michael A. Murray, Ed Tinsley and Andy Hunthausen are the Lewis and Clark County commissioners.