County to allow contractor storage yards exception

The issue that just wouldn't go away for the Putnam County Commissioners and plan commission is now in the hands of the board of zoning appeals.

Following a 3-0 vote by the commissioners on Monday morning, a contractor storage yard is now an allowed special exception in the Putnam County Zoning Ordinance.

The new special exception gives contractors the opportunity to store trucks or other equipment on land zoned for other purposes. As with all special exceptions, the BZA would deal with applications on a case-by-case basis.

The plan commission has mulled the issue for much of 2014, while the commissioners have dealt with it directly in four separate meetings since early August.

Although adding a special exception to the zoning ordinance is a county-wide issue, the discussions have primarily centered around one case in Monroe Township.

Late last year, Jeff and Karen Hampton lodged a complaint about the operation of trucks owned by Jim Bowling on County Road 500 North. Bowling subsequently contacted the county planning and zoning department to find out how to rectify the situation.

After considering a number of avenues, the plan commission decided that nothing currently on the books dealt with Bowling's situation. The new special exception was born of this gap in county policy.

Having tabled the matter once, the commissioners voted against the new exception on Aug. 13. However, County Attorney Jim Ensley asked at the Sept. 3 meeting if the issue was dead or should be sent back to the plan commission with revisions. The commissioners chose to send revisions back to the plan commission.

With revisions from the plan commission in place, the commissioners again considered the matter on Monday. Following limited discussion, David Berry moved for approval, which Max Watts seconded. Don Walton's vote made it unanimous.

The issue came back up at meeting's end, with the Hamptons, their attorney Greg Irby and concerned citizen Jim Poor all expressing concerns that there had been no time for public input during Monday's discussion.

The commissioners and Ensley all contended there had been no intent to prevent public input, but that on audience members had raised their hands.

"I don't want anyone to think there's an impropriety here," Ensley said.

As such, the commissioners reopened the conversation on the issue, although they had already approved it.

A number of concerns were expressed, including Poor's contention that the decision set a bad precedent and the Hamptons' and Irby's objections to certain procedural issues of how the matter had been handled.

It was also contended that the planning commission had not handled the situation properly and that Bowling's property should not be considered for such an exception.

On this matter, planning commission member Randy Bee spoke up, defending his board's actions and reminding everyone that what the commission had considered was a broader issue, not the individual case.

"It's not like this was a fly-by-night thing. We worked on this for eight months," Bee said. "The planning commission is an advisory board to (the commissioners). We worked on this because there was a hole in the ordinance."

As had been the case at previous meetings, some of the discussion also got into the minutiae of the particular matter between the Hamptons and the Bowlings. In these instances, both Ensley and Walton tried to keep the conversation on task.

"It's one of those things that the BZA needs to look into," Walton said.

With the arguments heard, the board had the chance to re-vote, but the commissioners stuck to their vote from earlier.

"I'd like for it to stand as voted," Berry said.

With the special exception now on the books, the BZA can consider individual cases such as Bowling's for approval.

In other news:

* The commissioners approved the 2015 contract for emergency medical service with Operation Life. The county's $80,000 funding level will remain in place, as it has for several years.

* County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts said crews will be installing a pipe on County Road 800 West, north of U.S. 40 in Washington Township, leading to its closure for a couple of days.

Ricketts added that the department has been steam cleaning and painting covered bridges in advanced of the Covered Bridge Festival.

* The commissioners approved the filling of an animal control officer position and three part-time jail officer positions for the sheriff's department. The animal control position had previously been filled by Stevie Smith, who was recently appointed as a merit deputy.