County Council approves funding for planning and zoning upgrades

Long overdue for Putnam County, updates to county planning and zoning laws now have a funding source.

During its monthly meeting last week, the Putnam County Council approved up to $200,000 for the Putnam County Building and Planning Department to spend on a new comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance, as well as ordinances regarding subdivision control, drainage and sediment and erosion.

The additional appropriation will be drawn from permits and fees, which brought in $275,235.96 in 2021, including permits for 129 new homes.

Planning and Zoning Director Lisa Zeiner gave this report to the Putnam County Commissioners in early January, at which time she was given their blessing to go before the Council, which controls the county’s purse strings.

Prior to the Council’s approval, County Auditor Kristina Berish reported that Zeiner has not been using the permits and fees fund, so it has been accumulating.

The county last approved a new comprehensive plan in 2008 and subdivision control in 1999. The zoning ordinance has undergone only minimal changes since the county first adopted zoning 30 years ago in 1992, Zeiner said.

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.

Now, with 14 years of inflation, Zeiner said the proposals she has received go as high as $185,000. Requesting the full $200,000 should limit the need to ask for additional funds if any additional costs arise in the process.

The request received unanimous approval, with Council President Dave Fuhrman advising Zeiner to “spend wisely.”

The council approved another $31,000 to cover the cost of a new vehicle for the department.

Zeiner said she was prepared to purchase a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab with a government contract price of $28,310. The vehicle will fulfill a need Zeiner had previously expressed to the Commissioners of an additional, more reliable vehicle for use by the county building inspectors.

The additional money in the appropriation will cover any other costs to getting the truck ready for service to the department, as well as covering insurance on a second vehicle.

In other business, the Council formalized an agreement discussed in December to increase the pay and number of public defenders in local courts.

With an additional appropriation of $96,947 from the county public defender fund, the courts will now have 6-1/2 part-time public defenders — two for Circuit Court, 2-1/2 for Superior Court and two dedicated to Child in Need of Services and Termination of Parental rights cases.

Additionally, public defender part-time pay is increasing from $43,000 to $50,000.

Judge Matt Headley told the council the public defender fund will not only pay for the increase through 2022, but for most of 2023.

The public defender fund draws from charges to those who use a public defender and are convicted — $50 for misdemeanors and $100 for felonies.

While this does not nearly cover the cost of the attorneys to the county and collection rates are low, the account has been accruing funds for several years, totaling $144,000 at the end of 2021.

In the future, public defender pay will have to be funded chiefly by some other mechanism in the county budget.

The additional appropriation received unanimous approval.