Commission raises concerns about out-of-town Land Use Authority, missing contracts and seeks electronic workflow

Fountain Green commissioners spent part of the meeting reviewing problems that arose during recent subdivision plat amendments and concluded the town's current Land Use Authority workflow needs attention.

Commissioners described slower-than-expected processing, missing contracts with outside engineering firms, and practical burdens of transporting paper Mylar documents to a Land Use Authority based an hour away. "We don't have our staff trained adequately as to what they need to do," Chair Andrew said while urging improvements; others raised conflict-of-interest questions about local engineers handling cases where they also represent applicants.

The commission discussed several remedies: requiring applicants to provide electronic copies alongside paper Mylar submissions, using electronic signature tools (DocuSign or similar) to collect required signatures, negotiating a contract or reciprocal arrangement with a nearby municipality for Land Use Authority duties, and clarifying fees charged to applicants by external firms.

Next steps: Chair Andrew volunteered to consult county recorders about electronic recording requirements; commissioners asked staff to look into DocuSign account costs and to get estimates for local reciprocal LUAs or updated contracts with outside firms so applicants are not surprised by extra fees.

At the meeting commissioners did not adopt a final solution; they tasked staff and volunteers to return with options and cost estimates.