Building fees could provide funding for planning ordinances

A building boom in Putnam County could have officials one step closer to an updated comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance.

Appearing at the first Putnam County Commissioners meeting of 2022 on Tuesday, Planning and Zoning Director Lisa Zeiner reported that the department collected $275,235.96 in permit fees, including permits for 129 new homes, in 2021.

The permits and fees include the entirety of the county with the exception of the City of Greencastle, as the county handles zoning and inspections for the other incorporated towns.

Of those 129 permits, 52 were at Heritage Lake, where more development is planned. Additionally, a new subdivision in Cloverdale will soon mean 19 new homes in that town.

“With that said, there is extra money sitting in the planning and zoning account,” Commissioner President Rick Woodall said.

Zeiner estimated that $300,000 in excess funds are sitting in the department’s coffers, part of which could be used for development of a new comprehensive plan and other planning and zoning ordinances.

In early 2020, Kristy Jerrell of Jerrell Consulting approached the Commissioners, saying that funding could be available through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for updating such ordinances.

“As long as there’s money in the pot, which they have about $1,000,000, I don’t see any reason we won’t get funded,” Jerrell said.

Unfortunately, that plan never got off the ground, not due to the unavailability of funds but their unavailability to Putnam County.

This is due to an ongoing project to upgrade the water, and eventually wastewater, system at Van Bibber Lake that is also being funded by OCRA.

Although the county is not providing any funding for the conservancy district’s extensive utility upgrades, it had to serve as the lead agency because OCRA grants are only provided to governmental entities such as counties, cities or towns, not conservancy districts.

OCRA will only fund one project at a time for an entity, so as long as the VBL project is ongoing, the county, as the lead agency, cannot get another project funded.

With money the department already has, though, the new ordinances could be happening soon.

Zeiner is hopeful that a number of new ordinances can be drafted, including a comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance, as well as ordinances regarding subdivision control, drainage and sediment and erosion.

The county last approved a new comprehensive plan in 2008 and subdivision control in 1999. The zoning ordinance has undergone only minimal changes since first approving zoning in the early 1990s.

There have never been ordinances on the books for drainage or erosion and sediment.

When the county approved the most recent comprehensive plan, a contractor also drafted new zoning laws that were never approved. That process cost the county more than $100,000, so Zeiner said she hopes the cost of drafting new laws will not exceed $200,000 considering the additional ordinances and the passage of 14 years.

While approving the funding will be up to the County Council, all three commissioners agreed that a project should be pursued.

One change to the county planning ordinance was approved with a new draft regarding solar and wind energy systems.

Solar and wind energy were made a special exception in the county in 2019, but the new ordinance adds language about the decommissioning of any such systems.

The new law requires companies that might build wind or solar energy systems to place money in escrow that could be used to tear down the equipment and put the land back to use as agricultural land.

Zeiner noted that the language is based on the Dearborn County ordinance as well as the Purdue Extension model for such laws.

Having already been approved by the County Plan Commission in December, the change received unanimous approval.

Finally, Zeiner requested permission to look for a new vehicle for the building inspector.

It’s been just two months since a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe was transferred from Putnam County EMS to the Planning Department. However, having been in the fleet at both PCEMS and the sheriff’s office, it is still showing its age.

The department spent more than $600 repairing the vehicle in December, with further issues in need of fixing.

“I’d prefer to find something that’s been lightly used rather than run by emergency services,” Zeiner said.

The Commissioners granted permission for Zeiner to pursue a used vehicle, a move that would likely also require Council approval before final purchase.

In other business:

• The Putnam County Highway Department is going through a bigger transition than originally reported last month with Mike Ricketts’ departure as superintendent.

Jacob Garl, the assistant superintendent, resigned as well.

In the interim, Clint Maddox, who formerly served as the department’s co-supervisor, is the acting superintendent. He has said he has no interest in taking the job permanently.

Maddox along with Ross Davies and Robin Hughes are managing the department until a permanent replacement can be found.

Woodall noted that the State of Indiana allows for up to $40,000 to pay for a county engineer, so they may be seeking a superintendent/engineer.

In the meantime, Ricketts is still willing to assist as needed with Community Crossings and other grant issues until someone new is in place.

• The Commissioners are seeking a new member to the Putnam County Airport Authority Board to fill the remainder of the term of former president Jim Spore.

Spore, who passed away last week at age 76, had already submitted his resignation due to his health.

The board is currently balanced from a partisan standpoint, meaning that anyone — Republican, Democrat, independent or otherwise — may apply. There is also no geographic requirement other than Putnam County residency.

The Commissioners also need to make an appointment to Thrive West Central to replace Ken Eitel following his resignation.

Those interested in either appointment should submit a letter of interest and resume to the Putnam County Auditor’s Office by Wednesday, Jan. 12.

• Woodall also broached the subject of increasing the cell phone allowance and per diem for meals when county employees attend conferences.

The Commissioners agreed the rates — $30 a month for cell phones and $35 a day for meals — likely need to go up. However, County Attorney Jim Ensley noted that any change will require an ordinance to change the county handbook.

Additionally, any such changes are also likely to cause budget shortfalls and may therefore have to be held until 2023 budget hearings.

• The slate of officers for the Commissioners remains the same in 2022, with Woodall as president, Tom Helmer as vice president and David Berry as member.

• The next regular meeting of the Putnam County Commissioners is set for Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. on the first floor of the Putnam County Courthouse. The meeting will not take place on Monday due to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Additionally, the Commissioners and Council are set to meet in a joint special session at 3:30 p.m. Friday to discuss management of American Rescue Plan funds as well as steps toward building a new courthouse annex.