County Postpones Amendments To Zoning Ordinance
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
To further review the changes, the Kosciusko County Commissioners postponed approving the Kosciusko County Zoning Ordinance amendments until their Aug. 29 meeting.
Matt Sandy, Area Plan Commission assistant director, said the changes to the zoning ordinance included a section on communication towers, home offices, a hearing officer, a change in filing fees and post-building permit fees. There are also minor changes to clean up some areas, he said.
The hearing officer, Sandy said, would help the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals meetings go faster because the hearing officer could hear the "simpler" cases. The officer would be a member of the BZA, chosen by the BZA, who would make a decision on some petitions.
If the petitioner did not like the decision by the hearing officer, the petition could be appealed to the entire BZA.
"This process is being used in other counties," said Sandy.
"It shortens the meetings," said commissioner Brad Jackson. "... And it is a step in the right direction to make government more in tune with the people."
BZA member Ron Sharp said the board has been operating with a handicap for some time due to its enormous workload. Often, they must hear 60 to 70 cases per meeting.
In other business, the county commissioners:
• Approved Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine to continue using the commissary money for 2000.
Commissary money is the "small" profit the county jail makes when inmates purchase candy bars and similar items or when they make phone calls, Rovenstine said. A new law specifies eight items that can be purchased with the money. Other items need permission from the commissioners. The law was put into place, Rovenstine said, because the Indiana State Board of Accounts did not like what sheriff departments around the state were purchasing with the money.
Rovenstine said the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department used the commissary funds to buy flowers for funerals of county employees and officers, buy drinking water and purchase a vacuum for the dispatch center. "Things you really don't have in your budget," he said.
Commissioner Eddie Creighton said he is not opposed to the department's uses of the funds but the sheriff's department should make the commissioners aware of their expenditures. Rovenstine said the commissioners are given a report twice a year.
• Approved lowering the speed limit on CR 250W from 55 miles per hour to 45 mph.
• Awarded the bid for a new sweeper vehicle for the highway department to Best Equipment for $139,277. Ladson said the department budgeted $140,000 for the sweeper.
• Kosciusko County Administrator Ron Robinson said the walls for the Justice Building expansion project were poured Monday and the forms were removed Tuesday. Next week, the floor plumbing and the sealing of the walls will begin. Robinson said the project is now "right on schedule."
He also announced the city and county dispatch are to be combined beginning today. The original date was July 1.
Commissioner attorney Mike Miner reported that he and Robinson met with Warsaw to discuss the dispatch department. They reached an agreement and Miner is preparing a written document on the agreement.
The commissioners approved Robinson working with the city of Warsaw for the city to use the county's gas pump. Currently, the Warsaw Police Department gets their gas from local gas stations.
• Kosciusko County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said the county tax sale started out with 713 parcels, but is now down to 450 properties after letters were sent to the property owners and some parcels of land were taken off the list. "We've got a pretty good handle on getting that cleaned up," she said.
• Approved Steve and Carol Burnworth's petition to rezone 1.228 acres from a public use district to a residential district. The property is on the south side of Myrtle Glen Road and 870 feet west of Ind. 15 in Lake Township.
• Approved Shirley and Larry Polk's petition to rezone 2.387 acres from an environmental district to an agricultural district. The property is on the south side of CR 675N and 2,420 feet west of Ind. 15 in Plain Township.
• Approved Habitat for Humanity's petition to rezone property from an industrial 2 district to a residential district. The property is just off Epworth Forest Road in North Webster.
• Approved United Way placing the fund-raising thermometer on the courthouse lawn from Sept. 10 to Nov. 15.
County commissioners are Avis Gunter, president Brad Jackson and Eddie Creighton. [[In-content Ad]]
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To further review the changes, the Kosciusko County Commissioners postponed approving the Kosciusko County Zoning Ordinance amendments until their Aug. 29 meeting.
Matt Sandy, Area Plan Commission assistant director, said the changes to the zoning ordinance included a section on communication towers, home offices, a hearing officer, a change in filing fees and post-building permit fees. There are also minor changes to clean up some areas, he said.
The hearing officer, Sandy said, would help the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals meetings go faster because the hearing officer could hear the "simpler" cases. The officer would be a member of the BZA, chosen by the BZA, who would make a decision on some petitions.
If the petitioner did not like the decision by the hearing officer, the petition could be appealed to the entire BZA.
"This process is being used in other counties," said Sandy.
"It shortens the meetings," said commissioner Brad Jackson. "... And it is a step in the right direction to make government more in tune with the people."
BZA member Ron Sharp said the board has been operating with a handicap for some time due to its enormous workload. Often, they must hear 60 to 70 cases per meeting.
In other business, the county commissioners:
• Approved Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine to continue using the commissary money for 2000.
Commissary money is the "small" profit the county jail makes when inmates purchase candy bars and similar items or when they make phone calls, Rovenstine said. A new law specifies eight items that can be purchased with the money. Other items need permission from the commissioners. The law was put into place, Rovenstine said, because the Indiana State Board of Accounts did not like what sheriff departments around the state were purchasing with the money.
Rovenstine said the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department used the commissary funds to buy flowers for funerals of county employees and officers, buy drinking water and purchase a vacuum for the dispatch center. "Things you really don't have in your budget," he said.
Commissioner Eddie Creighton said he is not opposed to the department's uses of the funds but the sheriff's department should make the commissioners aware of their expenditures. Rovenstine said the commissioners are given a report twice a year.
• Approved lowering the speed limit on CR 250W from 55 miles per hour to 45 mph.
• Awarded the bid for a new sweeper vehicle for the highway department to Best Equipment for $139,277. Ladson said the department budgeted $140,000 for the sweeper.
• Kosciusko County Administrator Ron Robinson said the walls for the Justice Building expansion project were poured Monday and the forms were removed Tuesday. Next week, the floor plumbing and the sealing of the walls will begin. Robinson said the project is now "right on schedule."
He also announced the city and county dispatch are to be combined beginning today. The original date was July 1.
Commissioner attorney Mike Miner reported that he and Robinson met with Warsaw to discuss the dispatch department. They reached an agreement and Miner is preparing a written document on the agreement.
The commissioners approved Robinson working with the city of Warsaw for the city to use the county's gas pump. Currently, the Warsaw Police Department gets their gas from local gas stations.
• Kosciusko County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said the county tax sale started out with 713 parcels, but is now down to 450 properties after letters were sent to the property owners and some parcels of land were taken off the list. "We've got a pretty good handle on getting that cleaned up," she said.
• Approved Steve and Carol Burnworth's petition to rezone 1.228 acres from a public use district to a residential district. The property is on the south side of Myrtle Glen Road and 870 feet west of Ind. 15 in Lake Township.
• Approved Shirley and Larry Polk's petition to rezone 2.387 acres from an environmental district to an agricultural district. The property is on the south side of CR 675N and 2,420 feet west of Ind. 15 in Plain Township.
• Approved Habitat for Humanity's petition to rezone property from an industrial 2 district to a residential district. The property is just off Epworth Forest Road in North Webster.
• Approved United Way placing the fund-raising thermometer on the courthouse lawn from Sept. 10 to Nov. 15.
County commissioners are Avis Gunter, president Brad Jackson and Eddie Creighton. [[In-content Ad]]