Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners approve planning non-reverting fund, fee increases and a flood verification requirement
Summary
County creates a non-reverting planning fund funded by user fees, adopts a new fee schedule effective May 1, and amends the flood damage ordinance to require a certificate of compliance for new construction in flood-prone areas.
The Vigo County Board of Commissioners approved a set of planning-and-zoning measures intended to make the area planning department more self-sustaining and to tighten floodplain compliance.
Jared, the area planning director, asked the board to establish a planning-and-zoning non-reverting fund so fees collected for rezonings, subdivisions and related services would be retained year-to-year to cover office operations (excluding salaries). He said the revised fee schedule, effective May 1, is designed to bring the county closer to regional averages while using tiered fees so smaller residential applications pay less than large commercial ones.
"With the new schedule of fees, we have collapsed funding gaps in what we receive and what we expend monthly," Jared told the commissioners.
Separately, commissioners approved an amendment to the county’s flood damage prevention ordinance (identified in the meeting as ordinance one, 2026). The amendment creates a certificate-of-compliance process: after construction in a flood-prone area is completed, the area planning department will issue a certificate when proof is submitted that the building was built to the elevations and safety standards in the approved plans. Accessory structures such as sheds and garages are excluded from the new certificate requirement.
Planning staff said the change is intended to protect residents by preventing occupancy until flood-elevation compliance is proven and to reduce enforcement burdens caused by missing elevation certificates.
The board voted to adopt the non-reverting fund and fee schedule and to enact the flood-ordinance amendment; staff will report revenue/expenditure activity monthly and work with council on annual disbursement as required.
