Posted on March 10, 2018
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
A change was discussed this week to Starke County’s ordinance on manufactured housing applicability.
Building Inspector Terry Stephenson told the Starke County Commissioners this week he would like to eliminate the need for a licensed set crew.
“Since I’ve got to go out and inspect everything, the average set crew is charging $2,000 to $2,500 to set and inspect these mobile homes,” said Stephenson. “I think the county would be better served that if they took that extra $2,000 and bought a nicer mobile home.”
Stephenson added that the crews set the mobile home on the pads or runners that have already been inspected and then he has to inspect the placement to ensure all is within code. Stephenson said the crew doesn’t have to charge for the inspection since he’s already handling the process.
The commissioners unanimously approved the amendment.
In other business, the commissioners had a chance to review an ordinance to acknowledge that a code enforcement officer will be under the supervision of the Starke County Planning Commission. As part of the ordinance, the plan commission members will have the authority to hire, fire, discipline, and assign tasks and deadlines for the code enforcement officer.
This is a new position. The county council approved funding for the officer for this year’s budget. A person has not yet been hired in that position.
The commissioners approved the ordinance with a unanimous vote.
Showing posts with label Starke County Plan Commission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starke County Plan Commission. Show all posts
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Monday, October 3, 2016
Starke Commissioners to Consider CAFO Fees
Posted on October 3, 2016
Author Mary Perren, WKVI
The Starke County Commissioners will consider amendments to the confined animal feeding ordinance fee schedule when they meet this evening. The Starke County Plan Commission recently approved a flat $500 flat permit, along with a $75 filing fee to offset the cost of processing the application. They also doubled the re-inspection fee to $100 for all permits. It will be charged when the county is called out to conduct an inspection, but the work is deemed to be incomplete.
Also tonight Sheriff Bill Dulin and Knox Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons will talk to the commissioners about bids for a septic system screen at the Starke County Jail. Clemons says commissary trash flushed down the toilets by inmates gets into the lines and has caused two pumps to fail recently. Last month the commissioners asked Dulin to work with her on a solution to the problem.
The commissioners are also scheduled to open bids for the coroner’s office, receive a report on the old county landfill and get monthly reports from the Starke County Highway Department and EMS. The Starke County Health Department is seeking approval of a contract, and the Council on Domestic Abuse is requesting a proclamation of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Starke County.
Tonight’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the annex meeting room.
Author Mary Perren, WKVI
The Starke County Commissioners will consider amendments to the confined animal feeding ordinance fee schedule when they meet this evening. The Starke County Plan Commission recently approved a flat $500 flat permit, along with a $75 filing fee to offset the cost of processing the application. They also doubled the re-inspection fee to $100 for all permits. It will be charged when the county is called out to conduct an inspection, but the work is deemed to be incomplete.
Also tonight Sheriff Bill Dulin and Knox Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons will talk to the commissioners about bids for a septic system screen at the Starke County Jail. Clemons says commissary trash flushed down the toilets by inmates gets into the lines and has caused two pumps to fail recently. Last month the commissioners asked Dulin to work with her on a solution to the problem.
The commissioners are also scheduled to open bids for the coroner’s office, receive a report on the old county landfill and get monthly reports from the Starke County Highway Department and EMS. The Starke County Health Department is seeking approval of a contract, and the Council on Domestic Abuse is requesting a proclamation of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Starke County.
Tonight’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the annex meeting room.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
CAFO Permit Fees Amended by Starke County Plan Commission
Posted on September 22, 2016
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
Permit fees for concentrated animal feeding operations were revisited Wednesday by the Starke County Plan Commission.
Back in July, the plan commission decided that the $250 fee per structure was too low, considering the size of many such operations, and decided to simply place CAFOs into the category of commercial and industrial buildings. However, the revised fee of 20-cents per square foot, up to a maximum of $5,000 was considered too high by many farmers. Now, plan commissioners hope they’ve found the sweet spot with a fee of $500 per CAFO structure.
That result came after a bit of discussion involving various parties. Attorney Jim Federoff appeared on behalf of the Indiana Pork Advocacy Coalition. He says that Indiana law appears to limit how much revenue may be generated from permit fees. “The fee has to be reasonable and it has to be rationally related to the purpose of the fee, which in this case is an ILP,” he said. “Based on my experience doing land use law and from what I can see applicable in Starke County, I think the last amendment with a fee up to $5,000 for CAFOs for an ILP would not be consistent with the law.”
But Plan Commission Director Terry Stephenson noted that CAFO permitting can mean a lot of work for his department if all the steps are properly followed. “If they would call for the number of inspections they’re supposed to call for, which would be eight to 10, there’s a lot of administrative fees,” he said.
Plan Commission Attorney Martin Bedrock pointed out that Starke County’s updated proposal is comparable to fees seen in other counties. “Ours is not out of line,” Bedrock said. “Ours is a flat $500 fee, which will take in all the costs of all the inspections, and there’s no additional, like in Marshall County, they charge $800 plus twenty- cents per square foot over a certain size, I guess. So $500 is not out of line with all the surrounding counties.”
To help offset some of the administrative costs of processing CAFO applications, the plan commission decided to add a $75 filing fee to the $500 permit, due to the steps required to process the applications. Plan commissioners also decided to double the re-inspection fee to $100 for all permits. It’s charged when the county is called out to conduct an inspection, but the work is deemed to be incomplete.
The Starke County Plan Commission approved the changes unanimously.
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
Permit fees for concentrated animal feeding operations were revisited Wednesday by the Starke County Plan Commission.
Back in July, the plan commission decided that the $250 fee per structure was too low, considering the size of many such operations, and decided to simply place CAFOs into the category of commercial and industrial buildings. However, the revised fee of 20-cents per square foot, up to a maximum of $5,000 was considered too high by many farmers. Now, plan commissioners hope they’ve found the sweet spot with a fee of $500 per CAFO structure.
That result came after a bit of discussion involving various parties. Attorney Jim Federoff appeared on behalf of the Indiana Pork Advocacy Coalition. He says that Indiana law appears to limit how much revenue may be generated from permit fees. “The fee has to be reasonable and it has to be rationally related to the purpose of the fee, which in this case is an ILP,” he said. “Based on my experience doing land use law and from what I can see applicable in Starke County, I think the last amendment with a fee up to $5,000 for CAFOs for an ILP would not be consistent with the law.”
But Plan Commission Director Terry Stephenson noted that CAFO permitting can mean a lot of work for his department if all the steps are properly followed. “If they would call for the number of inspections they’re supposed to call for, which would be eight to 10, there’s a lot of administrative fees,” he said.
Plan Commission Attorney Martin Bedrock pointed out that Starke County’s updated proposal is comparable to fees seen in other counties. “Ours is not out of line,” Bedrock said. “Ours is a flat $500 fee, which will take in all the costs of all the inspections, and there’s no additional, like in Marshall County, they charge $800 plus twenty- cents per square foot over a certain size, I guess. So $500 is not out of line with all the surrounding counties.”
To help offset some of the administrative costs of processing CAFO applications, the plan commission decided to add a $75 filing fee to the $500 permit, due to the steps required to process the applications. Plan commissioners also decided to double the re-inspection fee to $100 for all permits. It’s charged when the county is called out to conduct an inspection, but the work is deemed to be incomplete.
The Starke County Plan Commission approved the changes unanimously.
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