MINUTES

 

WARRICK COUNTY AREA PLAN COMMISSION

 

Regular meeting  held in Commissioners Meeting Room,

Third Floor, Court House,

Boonville, IN

Wednesday, September 8, 2004, 6:00 P.M.

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Guy Gentry, President, (arrived at 6:20 p.m.), Robert Addington, Duane Erwin, Gary Michel, Mike Moesner and Larry Willis, Vice President.

 

Also present were Sherri Phillips, Executive Director, Les Shively, Attorney and Sheila Lacer, Assistant Director.

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:  Carl Conner

 

The meeting was called to order by the Vice President and a quorum declared present.

 

MINUTES:    Upon a motion made by Mike Moesner and seconded by Duane Erwin the Minutes of the last regular meeting held August 11, 2004 and the Minutes of the Special Meetings held July 28, 2004 and August 11, 2004 were approved as circulated.

 

The Vice President explained the Rules of Procedure to the audience and stated that any rezoning petition receiving a recommendation this evening will be forwarded to the County Commissioners meeting to be held on Wednesday, October 13, 2004, in the Commissioners Meeting Room, Courthouse, Boonville, Indiana, at 4:00 p.m.

 

REZONING PETITIONS:

 

PC-R-04-23 – Petition of MDB & Associates, LLC, Jeffrey B. Detalente, Mbr. OWNER OF RECORD: Same To rezone 4.0 acres located on the E side of Peachwood Dr. approximately 210’ E of the intersection formed by Peachwood Dr. & Fruitwood Dr., Ohio Twp., from “A” Agriculture to “C-4” General Commercial.  (Complete legal on file.) Advertised in the Boonville Standard August 26, 2004.

 

Jeff Detalente and Jim Biggerstaff, Capstone Engineering, were present.

 

The Vice President called for a staff report.

 

The Executive Director stated they have submitted all of the green cards from certified mail of notice of this meeting to the adjacent property owners. She stated this petition is to rezone 4 acres from “A” to “C-4” and there is no minimum lot area required for commercial zoning.  She stated the Comprehensive Plan projects the area to be moderate to high density residential bordering on commercial and the application says vacant but the aerial photos shows what appears to be a residential structure.  She stated the property to the north is vacant Agriculture; to the south is “C-4” – MDB property and Agriculture with residence; to the east is Agriculture with a residence and to the west is “C-3” – Warrick Place Subdivision. She added there is no flood plain on this property and the access will be Fruitwood Drive through Lot 1 in Peachwood of Warrick Place IV.  She added the stated use on the application is that this is to be used for a storage building for Bennie’s Flooring located on lot 1; however, she believes they also plan to build some additional storage buildings as well.  She stated that is allowed in the proposed zoning but added that any storage buildings to be used for anything other than this business will need to obtain a Conditional Use Approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals. Ms. Phillips stated the application is in order.

 

The Vice President called for questions from the Board.

 

Mike Moesner asked how large a building they plan to construct and if they plan to construct multiple buildings.

 

Mr. Detalente stated they don’t have any set plans yet. He stated right now they just want to get it zoned so it will be ready in case they decide to do something. He commented he probably wouldn’t do multiple buildings though.

 

Mr. Biggerstaff stated this property is contiguous to Mr. Detalente’s business of Bennies Flooring and this adjacent to the commercial Warrick Place Subdivision.

 

The Executive Director stated then they may or may not use this property in conjunction with the existing floor covering business.

 

Mr. Detalente stated that is correct.

 

Ascertaining there were no other questions from the Board and being no remonstrators present, the Vice President called for a motion.

 

Mike Moesner made a motion based on the evidence presented and petition on file to recommend approval to the County Commissioners of PC-R-04-23 from “A” Agriculture to “C-4” General Commercial zoning district. The motion was seconded by Duane Erwin and unanimously carried.

 

PC-R-04-24 – Petition of Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., Thomas Herman, Pres. OWNER OF RECORD: Kenneth & Ruby Moyes.  To rezone 3.33 acres located on the SW side of S.R. 66 approximately 421’ SW of the intersection formed by Lincoln Ave. (S 450) & SR 66. Ohio Twp. from”C-4” General Commercial to “R-2B” Apartment zoning district. (Complete legal on file.) Advertised in the Boonville Standard August 26, 2004.

 

The Vice President stated that he is an adjacent property owner to this property and would need to excuse himself from this hearing.  He then left the meeting room.

 

The Executive Director stated she would conduct this portion of the meeting.

 

Attorney, Marco Delucio and Jeff Kittle were present.

 

The Executive Director reported they have submitted the return receipts from certified mail of notice of this meeting to the adjacent property owners.  She stated this petition is to rezone 3.33 acres from C-4 General Commercial to “R-2B” Apartment zoning district. She added this zoning requires a minimum lot frontage of 60’ at the building line and a minimum lot area of 6,000 square feet or 1,500 square feet per unit, whichever is the greatest unless they do a PRUD which relaxes those requirements. Ms. Phillips stated the Comprehensive Plan projects the area to be moderate to high density residential and the property is currently vacant.  She stated the property to the north is zoned “C-4” – Mike’s Body Shop; to the south is “C-3” – Former Town & Country Pools (currently unoccupied) and “R-1A – Single Family Dwellings (Briarwood Hills Sub); to the east is  Agriculture – currently vacant and to the west is  “R-2B”  which is to be used as additional acreage for apartment complex. She stated there is no flood plain on this property and this property fronts on SR 66 and shares an entrance with Mike’s Body Shop.  She stated the additional property already zoned “R-2B” fronts on Lincoln Ave.  She stated the petition states this is to be an apartment complex which is allowed in this zoning. She stated the application is in order.

 

Marco Delucio stated they have some booklets they would like to pass out to the Board members. (copies on file.)

 

At this point Guy Gentry, President, arrived and took over the meeting.

 

Attorney Delucio stated he would like to point out that the property immediately to the west of this property is zoned “R-2B” and they are attempting to purchase that property as well.  He stated they are attempting to down zone this property in order to have some consistent zoning on their property. He stated it is their intention to submit a PRUD plat within the next couple of weeks in order to demonstrate how they will utilize the property.  He again stated they are attempting to down zone this property from “C-4” which would allow a myriad of things such as bars, taverns and motels. He stated the “R-2B” is consistent with the projection of the Comprehensive Plan of high density residential use.

 

Jeff  Kittle stated his company is a second generation company that has been developing apartments since the late 1970’s.  He stated they have developed 53 communities in five different states and that haven’t sold any of those communities and they manage all of them.  He stated they plan to have 3-4 people at this facility as on site managers and they would be happy to answer any questions they might have.

 

Attorney Delucio commented the booklet they handed out to the Board does include photographs of some of their developments.

 

The President called for questions from the Board.

 

Attorney Shively stated as one would interpret this ordinance, they wouldn’t need to rezone the property from “C-4”.

 

The Executive Director stated she and Attorney Delucio discussed that and he wanted it to be consistently zoned for just apartments.

 

The President asked if they will be constructing two story buildings to which Mr. Kittle stated that is their plan and it is possible they would go to some three story buildings but they haven’t had their engineering study done.

 

Ascertaining there were no other questions from the Board and being no remonstrators present, the President called for a motion.

 

Duane Erwin made a motion based on the evidence presented and petition on file to recommend approval to the County Commissioners of PC-R-04-24 from “C-4” General Commercial to “R-2B” Apartment zoning district. The motion was seconded by Robert Addington and unanimously carried.

 

Larry Willis returned to the meeting.

 

PC-R-04-25 – Petition of Chris A. & Alicia A. Gilkey. OWNER OF RECORD: Montgomery Farms, Inc., Mayola Montgomery, Pres. To rezone 1 acre located on the W side of SR 261 approximately 100’ N of the intersection formed by SR 261 & Vann Rd. (S 350), Ohio Twp., from “R-2” Multi Family to “R-O” Residential Office zoning district. (Complete legal on file.) Advertised in the Boonville Standard August 26, 2004.

 

Chris Gilkey and Mayola Montgomery were present.

 

The President called for a staff report.

 

The Executive Director stated they have submitted all of the return receipts from certified mail of notice of this meeting to the adjacent property owners. She stated this petition is to rezone 1 acre from R-2 Multi Family to R-O Residential Office.  She stated the zoning requires a minimum frontage of 60’ at the building line and a minimum lot area of 6,000 square feet.  Ms. Phillips stated the Comprehensive Plan projects the area to be moderate to high density residential and the property is currently vacant.  She stated the property to the north, west and south is zoned “R-1A” being Old Hickory Subdivision and to the east across the highway is zoned Agriculture being Castle High School.  She stated there is no flood plain on the property and the access will be off S.R. 261.  She stated the petition indicates this will be used for a medical office which is allowed in this zoning.

 

Dr. Gilkey stated the survey was completed yesterday and they met with some of the area land owners about the lot just to the north and adjacent to this property.  He stated they are trying to negotiate how they will split up that property between the neighbors.  He stated it is not his intention to rezone any part of that property and they would only use their part for parking.  He stated he just wanted the Board to be aware that they were looking at that.

 

Dr. Gilkey stated they plan to construct a 2500 -3000 square foot medical office with a  basement if the drainage for this property works out.  He stated they don’t know how the stop light on the highway will affect this and they want to get this rezoned in order to proceed with their plans.

 

The Executive Director asked if he has had any discussion with the State regarding their entrance to which Dr. Gilkey stated he has spoken with them briefly and it is his understanding that because of the expansion of the highway and the possibility of adding another lane there and the light there they will need to investigate that more.  He stated there is an existing curb cut on the property now but they don’t know how that will work out.

 

The Executive Director stated if this rezoning is approved before he could get any permit for a building he would have to have entrance permits from the State.

 

Gary Michel stated this is a difficult lot to get in to as far as traffic is concerned and asked if they would be entering the property at the stop light or to the north.

 

Dr. Gilkey stated the entrance currently is farther north.

 

Guy Gentry stated there is a lot of discussion going on right now about that section of S.R. 261 and the light may not even be left there.  He stated one of the proposals is there could be five stoplights from Oakgrove Road to S.R. 66 and there is a possibility there will be no lights.  He stated there are several other factors that are being considered as well.

 

Ms. Phillips stated there has also been discussion about relocating Vann Road.  She again stated that all of these things would have to be settled prior to any Improvement Location Permit being issued.

 

Discussion ensued over the property to the north that may be divided between the adjacent property owners and that Dr. Gilkey didn’t actually need the additional property for parking.

 

Ascertaining there were no other questions from the Board and being no remonstrators present, the President called for a motion.

 

 Mike Moesner made a motion based on the evidence presented and petition on file to recommend approval to the County Commissioners of PC-R-04-25 from “R-2” Multi Family to “R-O” Residential Office. The motion was seconded by Larry Willis and unanimously carried.

 

SUBDIVISION FOR PRIMARY PLAT APPROVAL:

 

Blackberry Hill Subdivision by John & Susan Pickens   4.9452 acres located on the W side of Frame Rd approximately 400’ N of the intersection formed by Frame Rd. (W 900) & Lincoln Ave. (S 450), Ohio Twp. (Complete legal on file.) Advertised in the Boonville Standard August 26, 2004.

 

Steve Hahn, P.E. was present.

 

The President called for a staff report.

 

The Executive Director stated they have submitted all of the return receipts from certified mail of notice of this meeting to the adjacent property owners with the exception of either the unopened envelope or return receipt for Kaurna Pandit.  She stated the zoning on this property was approved by the County Commissioners this evening to “R-1” Single Family Dwelling which requires a minimum frontage of 60’ at the building line and a minimum lot area of 7,500 square feet.  She stated this is a six lot residential subdivision with no flood plain.  She stated the street construction plans were approved by the County Commissioners this evening with the condition that the owner enters into a Hold Harmless Agreement due to a white picket fence being located within the proposed road right of way.  She added the drainage plans were approved by the Drainage Board this evening and added that Newburgh Sewer has submitted a capacity letter for the six lots as well as that Indiana American has submitted a letter for water stating they have an 8” water main available that has adequate pressure.  She stated the plat needs minor engineering corrections but it is in technical conformity with the Subdivision Control Ordinance. She added that any approval should be subject to the return receipt or unopened envelope to Ms. Pandit being submitted.

 

Guy Gentry questioned the fence being located within the right of way and stated this is being discussed in the new ordinances.

 

Ms. Phillips stated the situation with the fence is a bit different because when he put up the fence it was out of the right of way but the County Highway Engineer is asking Mr. Pickens to grant additional right of way, which puts the fence in the newly dedicated right of way.

 

Steve Hahn stated Frame Road had a thirty foot right of way and they were asked to give forty feet.

 

Ascertaining there were no other questions from the Board and being no remonstrators present, the President called for a motion.

 

Larry Willis made a motion to find PP-04-10 in technical conformity with the Subdivision Control Ordinance and to approve it with the condition that the return receipts or unopened envelope from Ms. Pandit be submitted. The motion was seconded by Gary Michel and unanimously carried.

 

OTHER BUSINESS:

 

PP-03-05 – Linwood Estates Subdivision Phase II by Moore Development Group, LLC, Greg Moore, Pres. 12.2 acres located on the S side of Lincoln Ave. approximately 1500’ E & 1000’ S of the intersection formed by Grimm Rd.(W 1000) & Lincoln Ave. (S 450) Ohio Twp. (Complete legal on file.) Advertised in the Boonville Standard February 27, 2003. Approved by Plan Commission on May 13, 2003.

 

The Executive Director stated she spoke with the Board last month about this subdivision having a 50’ Amoco Gas line Easement running along the entire western edge of it. She stated when the primary plat was approved it only showed the gas easement and when they came in with the secondary plat they were showing a 10’ drainage easement within the gas easement. She stated since that discussion, the Drainage Board has reapproved the drainage plans with the easement being located within the gas easement.  She stated it has always been their policy to require with established easements that if they encroach in the easement they have to obtain a consent agreement from the party who has the easement.  She stated that has now been done and she has the consent letter from BP Pipeline stating they have no objection to the design and they understand the drainage easement will be located within the easterly 10’ of the pipeline easement.  She stated she did obtain legal advice from Shawn Sullivan since Attorney Shively had a conflict in that he is the developer’s attorney.  She stated she has received a letter from Attorney Sullivan stating he has reviewed the BP Pipeline letter and he feels the consent is adequate.  She stated what she needs the Board to do is reapprove the Linwood Primary plat with the drainage easement being shown in the BP easement.

 

Guy Gentry stated he would make that motion based on Attorney Sullivan’s recommendation. The motion was seconded by Larry Willis and unanimously carried.

 

Discussion: Ron London, P.E., C.F.M., Morley & Associates, Inc. - Flood Plain Mapping. Con’t from August 11, 2004.

 

Ron London stated that his company was involved in the flood plain mapping for Vanderburgh County and added that Warrick County is scheduled to have their maps updated by the DNR within the next year.  He stated Morley and Associates would like to be considered to be their advisors when the updates begin.

 

Considerable discussion ensued over the flood plain maps and the time frame in which Warrick County will have their update began.  The Executive Director stated they will need an engineering company to help them with the updates to ensure that the elevations are correct.

 

Formal Complaint:  Herbert K. Gorman, Jr. ~ 277 S.R. 62 E ~ Alleged Junk Salvage yard.  Granted 30 days on August 11, 2004.

 

Herbert Gorman was present.

 

The Executive Director stated a formal complaint was filed May 17th and staff sent Mr. Gorman a letter. She stated he asked for additional time in which to clean up his property and she granted it.  She stated the Zoning Inspector went to the property yesterday and took photographs and his report states the property has been cleaned up.

 

Mike Moesner made a motion to find him no longer in violation.  The motion was seconded by Larry Willis and unanimously carried.

 

The President stated they will hear the next two complaints simultaneously since they are related and adjacent.

 

Formal Complaint:  Edward Broshears, Sr., 2489 Bullocktown Road, Alleged Salvage Yard. Granted to June 1st on February 11, 2004. Granted to Sept. on June 9, 2004.

 

Formal Complaint:  Edward Broshears, Jr., 2611 Bullocktown Road, Alleged Salvage Yard. Granted to June 1st on February 11, 2004. Granted to Sept. on June 9, 2004.

 

Edward Broshears, Sr. and  Edward Broshears, Jr. were present.

 

The President called for a staff report.

 

The Executive Director stated a formal complaint was filed on both pieces of property on January 12, 2004, alleging the owners were operating a junk/salvage yard.  She stated on January 21, 2004, the property was inspected and found to be in violation and at the February 11, 2004 meeting  the Plan Commission gave the Broshears until June 1, 2004 to clean up the property.  She stated on June 8th staff did an inspection and found the property was still in violation but there had been some improvements made.  She stated Mr. Broshears indicated they needed to repair one of the trucks and get his hay cut and so the Board granted both of the gentlemen until this meeting to finish. She stated the Zoning Inspector went to the property on September 7th and took photographs and his pictures indicate that some of the items have been removed but there are still several things  on the properties.

 

Mr. Broshears stated they have a lot more hay than they thought they would have and they are still working on it.  He stated the pictures show two loads of junk that have been pulled out.

 

The President stated the property does look a lot better than it did when they first saw it but there is still more to be done.

 

Mr. Broshears stated the way things are going, they fix one thing and something else breaks.

 

Larry Willis asked how much more time they needed since it is getting close to time to harvest their crops.

 

Mr. Broshears stated he has no field crops this year but he is going to have surgery soon and will be off for a while.

 

Robert Addington asked if they will be finished by the first of the year.

 

Mr. Broshears stated they would be finished by then.

 

Discussion ensued over what meeting to have them reappear.

 

Robert Addington made a motion to grant them until the December 8, 2004, meeting.  The motion was seconded by Larry Willis and unanimously carried.

 

Formal Complaint:  Pamela Thomason, (OWNER) – William Bunner II (TENANT) -2996 Arnold Road - Alleged Salvage Yard, Used Car Sales and Mobile Office in an “A” Agriculture zoning district.

 

Pamela Thomason was present.

 

The Executive Director stated a complaint was filed on June 30,2004 stating the tenant living at this address was selling used cars from this location and had seven unlicensed vehicles on the property.  She stated the complaint also stated the tenant had moved in a mobile office on the property without any permits.  She added staff sent a letter to Ms. Thomason on August 3, 2004 informing her of the complaint and then William Bunner II came into the office the next week stating he lived at this house and that he wasn’t operating a used car business and that he was getting rid of some of the vehicles and that the trailer was used for storage. She stated that staff told him he needed to respond in writing.   She stated Mr. Bunner submitted a letter on August 25th stating the he was trying to fix the trailer in order for him to put his belongings that were currently stored in the house and garage in the trailer and he indicated that would be a temporary thing until he got somewhere else to live and that he has been laid off work since October 2003.  She stated Mr. Bunner was told this matter would be placed on this agenda and he needed to be present.  Ms. Phillips stated that later that same day Ms. Thomason telephoned the office and asked if she needed to be present to which she was informed that she is the legal owner of record and that if any proceedings were taken against the property she would be the one listed in the proceedings. Ms. Phillips stated she indicated she would also be at this meeting.  She stated the Zoning Inspector went to the property on September 7, 2004 and his photos indicate that most of the items have been removed from the property; however the trailer is still there.  She stated the Board needs to determine what, if any, permits should be required for the trailer to be there and be used for storage.

 

Ms. Phillips stated there have been different rulings in the past by this Board and she is not sure what to do with a trailer used for storage.  She stated the Board once looked at it as though it is a storage building and needed an Improvement Location Permit and then they looked at it as a trailer and it needed a Conditional Use.

 

Guy Gentry commented if they don’t get permits there isn’t any way the township assessor will be able to pick them up on the assessment.

 

Ms. Thomason stated it is not a mobile home it is an old construction trailer office. She stated he plans to fix it up in order to store his belongings in.

 

Discussion ensued over what type of trailer the structure actually is.

 

Attorney Shively commented it appears to be a commercial vehicle which is not allowed in that zoning.

 

Ms. Thomason stated he is looking for another place to live and he is supposed to take everything out of the house and garage and store it in this trailer and then move it.

 

Larry Willis asked if this is rental property for her to which she stated it is her property but her dad has survivorship rights.  She stated her dad lives on this property and she lives right behind him in another house.  She stated her dad let his grandson (Mr. Bunner) move in with him because he didn’t have a place to live.

 

Ms. Phillips stated Ms. Thomason needs to understand that this Board is saying that vehicle is a commercial structure and it is not allowed in an Agriculture zoning.

 

Ms. Thomason stated it doesn’t have any utilities or restroom.

 

Attorney Shively stated that doesn’t make any difference. He stated the placement of that trailer is a use of a commercial nature and it isn’t allowed.

 

Ms. Phillips stated the Board then needs to give them a time frame in which to remove the trailer from the property.

 

Gary Michel asked what you do if you rent a storage trailer to store your belongings.  He stated he sees semi trailers sitting on property all the time. He stated that isn’t assessed because it is rented.

 

Guy Gentry stated that is still a commercial use and shouldn’t be on the property.

 

Gary Michel stated some of them aren’t being used commercially they are being rented for storage; for instance if they want to remodel their house.

Attorney Shively stated the placement of that trailer on a piece of property is still a commercial use.  He stated they are semi trailers and they are a commercial use and they have been rented for storage.

 

Gary Michel stated it would be his things being stored.

 

Attorney Shively stated it would still be a commercial vehicle.

 

Larry Willis stated that would be renting commercial storage and taking it to your property to use and it would still be commercial.

 

Gary Michel stated what if he rented a pick up truck and drove it home would he consider that commercial.

 

Larry Willis stated that would depend on how it was leased.

 

Guy Gentry stated he wouldn’t care if there was a pick up parked in his neighbor’s driveway but he would if this was.

 

The Executive Director stated this is the same thing as the billboard trailers they had to deal with a few months ago. She stated they determined the semi trailers were a commercial vehicle and needed to be located on commercial zoned property.

 

Ms. Thomason stated Mr. Bunner is planning on sanding it down and painting it.

 

Ms. Phillips stated the Board needs to give them a time to have the vehicle removed from the property.

 

Robert Addington asked if they can move it in sixty days to which Ms. Thomason stated it would probably be longer than that.

 

Larry Willis asked if Mr. Bunner works any where to which Ms. Thomason stated he hasn’t worked for a while.

 

Larry Willis stated then he should have plenty of time to take care of this.

 

Guy Gentry asked if this is owned or rented to which Ms. Thomason stated he bought it.

 

Robert Addington asked when she thought he would have all of his belongings out of the house and if he has a way to remove the vehicle from the property.

 

Ms. Thomason stated he had good ideas but she doesn’t know about his following through with them.

 

Larry Willis stated the photos show writing on the vehicle calling it an office, which shows it has been used for commercial.

 

Ms. Phillips asked if Mr. Bunner lives in the house to which Ms. Thomason stated he does but he is planning on moving and was going to put his belongings in.

 

Duane Erwin made a motion to grant him sixty days in which to remove the structure/vehicle. The motion was seconded by Robert Addington and unanimously carried.

 

Ms. Thomason stated she is stuck in the middle of this since she is the actual owner of the property.

 

The President thanked her for attending this evening and asked her to relay the information to Mr. Bunner.

 

The Executive Director asked her to telephone the office to let them know when the vehicle has been removed so they can inspect the property.  She also told her that if the vehicle is removed within the sixty days she won’t have to come back before the Board.

 

ATTORNEY BUSINESS:

 

Attorney Shively stated he has met with Dave Ripple and Dave Isley at BLA in regards to the Subdivision Control Ordinance update.  He stated they have put the proposed changes in outline form based upon interviews with Ms. Phillips and the steering committee.  He stated he has met with them twice and has checked their changes against the enabling statutes to make sure the changes could be legally implemented and they all can.  He stated BLA is right now in the process of putting it all together.

 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BUSINESS:

 

The Executive Director stated she has two payments to BLA for $525 and $6,003.81for the Subdivision Control Ordinance update. She stated of the $525 claim, $185 of that is for Attorney Shively and of the $6,003.81 claim, $1,017.71 is for Attorney Shively. 

 

Ms. Phillips stated Attorney Shively’s office did deliver the Zoning Ordinance and she has taken copies to the Commissioners for their review.  She stated it will be on the October 13th agenda and Attorney Shively is going to present the changes to the Commissioners.

 

She added that they need to get copies of the ordinances to the participating towns too because once the Commissioners approve the ordinance then they will need to go before the Town Boards for approval.

 

*      *

 

The Executive Director stated Danny Leek with Morley and Associates is present this evening to ask a question about Beaver Creek PRUD.  She stated that is the apartment complex located at the intersection of Bell Road and Lincoln Avenue.  She stated the plat was approved  and now because of building codes they want to take the 24 unit building and make it into two buildings, one with 16 units and the other with 8 units in order to meet fire code regulations.  She stated they will not be creating any additional units.  She stated she can approve minor changes to a PRUD and she wanted to bring this before the Board to advise whether they feel this is a significant change.

 

Guy Gentry stated he didn’t see it as a significant change.

 

Attorney Shively agreed.

 

Guy Gentry made a motion this was not a significant change and the Executive Director could approve a new plat.  The motion was seconded by Larry Willis and unanimously carried.

 

*      *

 

The Executive Director stated she has received a bill from Shawn Sullivan for $157.70 for his services he provided in regards to the Linwood Subdivision problem.  She stated Attorney Shively had a conflict of interest due to his representation of the Linwood Subdivision developer and so they had to have Attorney Sullivan help her with the problem.

 

She stated there is no money in the budget for any attorney fees other than the line item for Attorney Shively. She stated that money is just enough to pay for his contractual services.

 

Duane Erwin stated to pay it out of Attorney Shively’s line item.

 

The Executive Director stated Attorney Shively did say that if there was a conflict of interest and they had to hire another attorney that he would take care of the expenses.

 

Attorney Shively stated he didn’t create the conflict but they could have gone with Martin and Martin for advice instead of Mr. Sullivan.

 

Discussion ensued over how to pay the claim.

 

Gary Michel asked if there were any funds available that she could transfer in order to pay the bill.

 

Duane Erwin made a motion to forward the bill to the Commissioners office to see if they would pay the bill. Larry Willis seconded the motion.  He then commented if the Commissioners wouldn’t pay the bill then Ms. Phillips could bring the matter back to them.

 

Ms. Phillips stated she doesn’t want Mr. Sullivan to have to wait forever to be paid for his services. She stated he went through a lot of work over this BP Pipeline matter and she doesn’t want it hanging on.  She stated she can either turn it in to the Commissioners and they will either pay it or they won’t.  She stated if they won’t, she can transfer money into the attorney line item.

 

Attorney Shively stated he would go on record that this situation is not of his making but if it is easier for her, on the next claim that is sent for his monthly payment she can deduct the amount for Mr. Sullivan. He stated he thinks that is wrong to do because he didn’t create the conflict.  He stated he never represented this developer in any way in regards to this development before this body.  He stated if he can’t make a meeting and he has Shawn come to the meeting then yes, he would be responsible.

 

The Executive Director stated she doesn’t think there will be any problem with her transferring the money because it will be in the same line item number and she won’t even have to go to the Council to do that and he can be paid next month.

 

Duane Erwin stated he would withdraw his motion because he thought there was no other way to pay the bill and Larry Willis withdrew his second.

 

Attorney Shively stated another thing they could look at is that he recused himself from this matter and then if he turned around and compensated the representing attorney for their services it wouldn’t look good.

 

Mike Moesner made a motion to transfer the money in order to pay the bill. The motion was seconded by Larry Willis and unanimously carried.

 

*     *

 

The Executive Director stated that at times different developers will come into the office for multiple Improvement Location Permits.  She stated this places a strain on the office since they are currently short staffed and it is worse when someone goes to lunch.  She stated she has asked the developers to fax the applications to the office the day before they are coming in so the plot plans can be checked and everything is ready to go.  She stated she is asking the Board if it would be alright with them if she made a regulation that anyone wanting over three permits at one time would have to leave them in the office and pick them up the next day.

 

Attorney Shively stated she could set up that policy but suggested that she contact the Southern Indiana Home Builders Association and let them know about the new policy in order for them to get the word out.

 

Discussion ensued over the amount of time needed to issue the permits.

 

Ms. Phillips stated past policy also was that anyone coming into the office after 3:30 the permits would not be processed until the next day.

 

Attorney Shively stated it would be wise to post the policy and notify the developers.

 

Ms. Phillips stated she doesn’t want to make anyone angry and if they can get the permits issued they will but if they walk in with several permits at 3:30 then they know they can’t get done but they expect staff to work over to do them.  She stated she knows that people will complain to the Board members and so she wanted them to be aware of what she would like to do.

 

It was the consensus of the Board that the Executive Director was the office manger and could make policy.

Being no other business the meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

 

 

 

                                                                        _______________________

                                                                        Guy Gentry, President

 

 

ATTEST:

 

 

____________________

Sherri Phillips, Executive Director