Pulaski County commissioners approve multiple ordinances and construction change orders; vote on battery-storage moratorium stalls

Pulaski County commissioners met to consider planning and development recommendations from the Area Plan Commission, approve project change orders for the courthouse renovation and routine claims, and hear a community foundation report.

Leanne Wright, executive director of the Community Foundation of Pulaski County, delivered a set of community reports including a Pulaski County strategic visioning plan prepared by the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University. "These reports reflect not just data, but the collective experiences, challenges, and opportunities within our community," Wright said, and she urged local leaders to use the documents to inform planning and to pursue state planning grants through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).

Carla Redwick, the county building inspector, presented a package of items the APC had recommended to the commissioners. The board voted on several ordinance items and administrative matters during the meeting:

- Flood-damage prevention ordinance: Commissioners voted to adopt the model flood-damage prevention ordinance recommended by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Redwick said the document was the same ordinance recommended last year and that the primary changes were dates and an updated commissioner name.

- APC reappointment: The board approved reappointment of APC citizen commissioner Megan Chorus (term renewal) to a four-year term.

- Development fee schedule (violations): The board approved an ordinance raising civil penalties in the county development/ordinance violation fee schedule; Redwick summarized the recommended increases for first through final violation amounts.

- Ordinance language adjustments (solar/solar equipment): The board approved APC-recommended textual changes to the county zoning ordinance that clarify that fencing and…