Bent County Commissioners last week agreed to ask the voters to nullify a law that prohibits them from serving more than two consecutive terms as commissioner.

    The commissioners — two of whom are apparently unchallenged on the ballot this year — approved a ballot resolution unanimously.

    Currently, commissioners are the only elected official subject to the two-term limit. There is no two-term restriction for the more specialized positions such as county clerk, assessor, sheriff and coroner.

    Commissioners also declared Bent County is a disaster area due to the ongoing drought.

    That step was taken so that county farmers and ranchers can qualify for various relief programs expected to be made available.

    As one example, rancher and commissioner Tom Wallace said ranchers who are now liquidating cow – calf herds due to the dry conditions would normally have to reinvest their sale proceeds in a new herd or have the revenue taxed as income. If the federal government agrees the area is suffering from catastrophic drought the reinvestment deadline for avoiding taxes is extended.

    Commissioner Lynden Gill said he favored the motion but added that he thought the county ag community would not fully qualify for assistance programs until August.

    Wallace said he would confer with FSA director Chad Hart to clarify what the county can do to speed up disaster assistance.

    Several weeks ago when Hart visited with the commission he said he was having difficulty establishing what normal rainfall patterns are for the county.

    At last week’s meeting commissioners noted that rainfall has been spotty in areas of the county, causing local variations.

    Commissioners also agreed to streamline the process for subdivision exemptions. Normally, applications for an exemption require a zoning and planning committee meeting for a review. Then, the application is forwarded to the commission for final approval.

    Applications will now be reviewed by the land commissioner, Frank Bryant, and if they are routine he will submit it directly to the commission.

    The application is usually “cut and dried anyway,” said Commission Chairman Bill Long. The swifter process was requested by the zoning and planning committee.