Cheatham County Commission defers most zoning changes, approves notice requirement amendment

The Cheatham County Commission on April 21 approved a single amendment to the county zoning resolution and voted to defer four other proposed amendments for further review.

During a public hearing in the General Sessions Courtroom in Ashland City, county staff presented proposed changes that would amend several sections of the Cheatham County Zoning Resolution, including additions to sections 9.02, 9.0805, and 9.0915 and a replacement of section 9.1 addressing violations and penalties. The presentation was given by Franklin Wilkinson, director of the Cheatham County Building Department.

The commission approved an amendment to add a requirement that "each of the members of the Cheatham County Commission [receive] a copy of the public notice of matters to be heard by the Cheatham County Regional Planning Commission and the Cheatham County Board of Zoning Appeals not less than three days following the submission of such notice for publication." The motion to approve item 1 was made by Commissioner Diana Lovell and seconded by Commissioner Bill Powers; the roll call recorded 12 yes, 0 no, and the motion carried.

Separately, the commission moved and seconded a motion to defer items 2 through 5 (the remaining drafted changes to sections 9.0805, 9.0915, replacement language for 9.1 regarding violations and penalties, and proposed revisions to section 9.11). That motion passed on roll call with 11 yes, 1 no (Commissioner Eugene Evans voting no). Commissioners said they wished to discuss the deferred items further during a workshop before taking final action.

The proposed replacement of section 9.1, as read into the record, would have clarified criminal and civil penalties and added a civil fine of $50 per day for continuing violations; the record shows the replacement language was among the items deferred. The hearing record also included a technical correction to how subsection lettering was displayed in 9.0915 and a proposed waiver authority for the building commissioner in limited, parcel-specific circumstances.

Commissioners explicitly stated the deferral was to allow additional workshop review of the paper language and zoning details rather than to reject the substance outright. The public hearing was closed before the commission moved to the votes.

The approved amendment (item 1) will require the county to distribute published public notices to commissioners within three days of submission for publication; the published notice text also indicated that failure to provide such copies would not, by itself, invalidate proceedings carried out under the resolution.

The record shows no further public comment on the zoning items during the hearing.