Growth rate trail long and twisty

Nearly four and a half years ago, voters in Douglas County approved a fixed 2 percent growth cap. That cap called for the county to issue only 280 permits a year.

Last week, county commissioners voted to introduce a compounded 2 percent growth cap. That ordinance has just begun its run through the gauntlet.

Before anyone in favor of a growth cap starts opening champagne bottles, it would be helpful to remember that when commissioners introduced a tax to build a senior center, public outcry caused them to turn away. There's a long way to go before the growth ordinance currently under consideration by the county becomes law.

Along that route, many questions will be asked and must be answered.

Does Douglas County residents' unwillingness to tax themselves for services qualify as a limiting resource?

Does a place known as a mecca for second home owners actually have 2.5 people living in every home?

What role will the Legislature play in this process? Senate Bill 510 is off the radar for the time being, but it could return with little notice.

It took nearly five years for the county to reach this point.

What if it takes another five years before a growth ordinance may actually be implemented?

Only time will tell whether Thursday's introduction will result in an approval and whether that approval will ever be enacted into law.