This argument is partially thanks to the vast difference of property. The north part of the county is farmland; the south has the lake and its tourist condominiums.

“Planning and zoning is the boss,” said Rose Hultz. “They can do anything they want to do when they have the money and the power. P&Z wants the money and the power, they really want the power, and I don’t know why.”

Hultz’s family and in-laws have been farming in Stone County for more than 130 years. She spent Monday at the Stone County Senior Center, harvesting “no” votes for the planning and zoning measure.

“All they care about is bringing in those tourists and getting their money,” said Hultz.

Hultz claims farms are supposed to be exempt from Planning and Zoning regulations but, if a roadside stand is set up in Stone County to sell fruit or cheese, it then becomes agricultural commercial, which requires permits.

“And what’s going to happen when there are no more farms? Where are we going to get our food from?” she asks.

“The folks in the rural area have to understand we can’t forecast what the property will be in the future,” said Dick Erickson, treasurer of Protect Our Property.

Erickson is part of Hultz’s opposition -- those who want Planning and Zoning to remain in a rapidly growing county, keeping possible developers looking to make a quick buck at bay.

“Those people who come in and haphazardly build where and what they want,” said Erickson. “In 1990, we had 19,000 people; in 2008, we had 32,000 people. That’s a growth of 84 percent in that time period, and the land is being used haphazardly in that time period, so we need to have planned usage in Stone County.”

Both sides are just interested in the future of Stone County.

“When you buy property in Stone County, this will keep the surrounding property zoned the same while you own it; it protects you,” said Kathy Clark, director of Tri-Lake Realtors.

Water quality is also part of the issue. The Health Department and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are the main agencies responsible for quality control. Those urging the “no” vote say that’s all that’s needed and P&Z isn’t needed. Those wanting a “yes” vote say P&Z makes sure DNR and the Health Department are brought in at the beginning.

In Missouri, Class 3 counties like Stone County are not required to have a Planning and Zoning Department. In 1995, a department was created after Stone County voters approved a similar measure to the one on the ballot on Tuesday.

The new election is necessary because of a lawsuit that the county lost. In January, a judge found in favor of a developer who had problems with Stone County’s zoning laws. Volunteers have recreated a planning and zoning manual and new regulations in response to that lawsuit. The county commission voted for those regulations to go into effect on Wednesday if the measure is passed on Tuesday.