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Trustees impose one-year moratorium on private bridge construction to allow zoning rules
Summary
After a zoning commission recommendation that the township lacks bridge regulations, trustees adopted a temporary moratorium on private bridge approvals to give the zoning commission time to draft safety and fire-code–aligned rules; the moratorium lasts up to one year or until regulations are adopted.
The Morgan Township Board of Trustees on April 13 approved a temporary moratorium on new private bridges over waterways while the township drafts formal regulations.
Ken Tumbleton, chair of the zoning commission, told the trustees that current township regulations do not address private bridges and recommended a pause on approvals until the zoning commission, the fire department and the county engineer can provide guidance. "We don't have any regulations on bridges," Tumbleton said, adding that the zoning commission and fire department would develop materials to inform next steps.
A trustee introduced a resolution to impose a temporary moratorium on approval or construction of private bridges, effective immediately for a period up to one year or until zoning regulations are in place, if sooner. The motion was seconded and the trustees approved the measure.
Trustees said the moratorium will allow the zoning commission to draft regulations that meet fire-code and safety requirements and to consult the engineer’s office on technical standards. The board did not set specific technical standards at the meeting; instead trustees asked staff and the zoning commission to prepare proposed regulations for future consideration.
What happens next: zoning staff, the fire department and the township’s engineer will collaborate on draft regulations; the moratorium remains in effect until the board adopts those rules or one year elapses.
