Grant County APC member resigns from BZA; commission appoints Ed Hartman and Wilbur Webb

The Grant County Area Planning Commission on Jan. 22 recorded the resignation of the meeting chair from the Board of Zoning Appeals and voted to fill two citizen seats on the BZA.

The chair announced on the record that he was resigning his BZA seat, which triggered a statutory requirement to appoint one unincorporated and one incorporated citizen from Grant County to the BZA under Indiana code. The chair said the change follows a reconfiguration of commission membership after Upland’s planning reorganization.

Commissioners moved to appoint Ed Hartman to the unincorporated‑area BZA seat and Wilbur Webb to the incorporated‑area seat. The motion to appoint Hartman carried on a roll‑call vote; commissioners then moved and approved Webb’s appointment. Members recorded “yes” votes during the roll call; the transcript lists each vote as affirmative among those present.

Ed Hartman, one of the appointees, said, “It’s good to be here. Looking forward to it.” Wilbur Webb responded, “Happy to be here,” after being welcomed by the chair.

Why it matters: the BZA is the body that issues final decisions on zoning appeals; filling both required citizen seats keeps the BZA at full membership and ensures hearings can proceed. The chair explained that state law limits eligibility for those seats (for example, appointees may not be serving on certain local governing bodies), which affected who could be nominated.

What’s next: the appointments take effect immediately for BZA membership; no additional procedural steps were announced at the meeting.

Votes at a glance: the commission approved both appointments by roll‑call vote during the Jan. 22 special meeting.