DeKalb County Plan Commission reviews proposed Butler ETJ expansion; no vote taken

The DeKalb County Plan Commission on Aug. 20 reviewed a draft interlocal agreement and a proposed expansion of the City of Butler’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, but did not vote on the measure.

The discussion centered on formalizing an existing ETJ relationship between Butler and DeKalb County and on a proposed expansion that would “square off” Butler’s ETJ to include additional lands to the south that the city may seek to annex in the future. Andrew Provine, city planner for Butler, said the city is finalizing a new comprehensive plan and that the ETJ expansion is intended to align future development with Butler’s zoning when annexation occurs. "We're actually gonna do it this time," Provine said of completing the comprehensive plan, noting the plan has been in development under multiple city planners for several years.

County staff described the draft agreement as largely modeled on existing interlocal agreements DeKalb County has with Auburn, Garrett and Waterloo, with similar standards for sewer hookups, sidewalks and addressing. County staff told commissioners the interlocal agreement clarifies which entity performs which administrative functions — for example, who issues…