Variances by their very nature are controversial. They are an exception to the shoreland ordinances that govern uniform development of the state's most precious resource - its lakes.
Hubbard County's Board of Adjustment has been dubbed "The God Squad" by its own county commissioners because of the power the five members wield, making exceptions to those laws.
Nevertheless, the public shouldn't feel powerless.
On balance, the Board of Adjustment does a good job. In an ideal world, all five members would be equally engaged, participating in the monthly meetings and attending the site visitations. But life isn't perfect, and as with any governing body, some members are more effective than others.
Each board member represents a specific commission district, appointed by the county board member that lives in that district for a four-year term.
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The public is rightly interested in the variance board's actions for a variety of reasons.
Environmentalists don't want to see new development encroaching on lakes, don't want to see impervious surfaces draining into them.
They're tired of lake residents that tear down all the trees and shrubbery, the natural buffers that prevent erosion. They're tired of manicured and fertilized lawns that drain into pristine waters, enabling invasive species to flourish.
Neighbors don't want to see the guy down the beach get any more advantages than they did when they built or renovated.
Longtime lake residents don't want to see mass developments of RV parks or resorts that crowd the smaller lakes with boat traffic and activity.
They all look to the Board of Adjustment to provide that restraint, that wisdom, to keep these issues in check.
Two weeks ago the board stumbled, potentially exposing the county to lawsuits that may govern future development. Why? Because it didn't follow its own procedures in rendering a decision.
Now Fifth Crow Wing Lake's southwest shore will be peppered with docks from a PUD and an adjacent RV park.
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It's a tough job made tougher by Minnesota, which has hamstrung the variance board.
Local board members have zealously tried to get new development and renovations moved outside the shore impact zone.
But Minnesota said you could rebuild in the same footprint and even add 50 percent on, giving a whole new meaning to the term "lakeside retreat." Then there's the overall concept. How do you define a "practical difficulty?"
"Hardship" is a concept everyone seemed to understand, but the state decided to tinker with the grounds for granting variances. Now you have to prove it's a practical difficulty. Huh?
But in the end, no amount of variances granted or rejected will make new residents better stewards of their lakes, make them understand they must mitigate their own actions.
To some extent, the board has ordered such measures be taken, but overall it will take a concerted educational effort and campaign by the populace.
And that may be where the real power lies.
