TIPI Retreat

This controversy has intrigued me since before I became a resident of HSC. All of my questions are presented based on facts. Sources are referenced in the footnotes.

Initial questions:

• Why in the world would the government overreach be so great that lawsuits would ensue.

• Why would a COUNTY property owner have to re-zone their land to commercial to operate a retreat and a short term rental. Other county homeowners did not have this much difficulty operating their STR.

• Why is the government so interested in stopping the TIPI from existing?

Let's explore the timeline of events and maybe we can come to a conclusion. All sources and data are footnoted below so there is no question as to where the information came from.

1. December 21, 2021 - During this BOCC meeting (1), the Wyatt and Beau Haight land use change to commercial was approved with stipulations. The TIPI request was flat out denied. Why would commissioner Ryan "feel" that the land change would fail the 3 absolute policies, did it or did it not? 3 people spoke out against the change in land use and 12 people spoke for the change, how can the voice of 3 outweight 12? Does this apply to all properties in the county or just the TIPI location? Were there any stipulations to adhere to the policies for TIPI in order to do business like Wyatt and Beau Haight? This hearing creates more questions than answers.

2. January 10, 2022 - Stevens file a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment, Injunctive Relief, and Petition for Judicial Review against defendant, Hot Springs County Board of County Commissioners. This news article reports the confusion amongst the BOCC and the county departments. I'll summarize but I highly suggest you read the article in the link below.

3. February 15, 2022 - BOCC Jack Baird requests an outside attorney be hired in the Stevens TIPI case. Commissioner Phillip Schel seconded. Motion passed. why did the county retain outside counsel at the taxpayers expense? Is the county attorney not competent enough to represent the county? Update here.

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1. https://hscounty.com/archives/12-21-21/viewdocument/611

2. https://www.thermopir.com/story/2022/02/10/news/tipi-retreat-owners-file-lawsuit-naming-county-commissioners-as-defendants/11851.html

3. https://hscounty.com/archives/minutes-february-15-2022-board-of-county-commissioners-meeting/viewdocument/632