Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ordinances topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hancock County commissioners adopt planning-fee update, data-center siting rules and three retroactive/establishing ordinances
Summary
The Hancock County Board of Commissioners on June 16 adopted several ordinances including a five-year planning fee schedule, a new data-center siting overlay and retroactive numbering for a power-generation ordinance; the board also created two juvenile grant funds and suspended rules to act the same day.
The Hancock County Board of Commissioners voted June 16 to adopt multiple ordinances affecting planning fees, data‑center siting and county code housekeeping.
The board approved Ordinance 2026‑D to set a planning department fee schedule for five years, raising fees for nonresidential variances and requiring a pre‑filing meeting for petitions. Caleb Brooks, who presented the fee changes on behalf of planning staff, said the schedule is intended to better align fees with staff and attorney time and will remain in place for five years unless exceptional circumstances warrant a revision. "The planning commission sent it forward with a favorable recommendation," Brooks said.
Commissioners also introduced and adopted Ordinance 2026‑6‑E to create a separate definition and permitting path for modern data centers. The ordinance adds 'data center' to the land‑use matrix, limits it as a permitted use to the IG zoning district with a required data‑center overlay, and requires applicants to obtain the board’s blessing before proceeding to the plan commission. Planning staff said the ordinance imposes a review process similar to a rezone, including public hearings, and noted a data‑center committee will continue meeting this summer to refine siting recommendations.
As a housekeeping measure, the board assigned an ordinance number and made retroactive Ordinance 2026‑6‑F to remove 'power generation facility' as a permitted commercial use with special exception in the Ag district, marking the change back to Nov. 4, 2025. Commissioners also introduced and adopted Ordinance 2026‑6‑G to establish two Indiana Department of Corrections juvenile grant funds (9127 and 9128) for community corrections programming.
Votes at a glance Ordinance 2026‑D (planning‑fee schedule): motion introduced and adopted same day after suspension of rules; vote: motion carried. Ordinance 2026‑6‑E (data‑center siting): motion introduced and adopted same day after suspension of rules; vote: motion carried. Ordinance 2026‑6‑F (power‑generation facilities, retroactive to 11/04/2025): introduced, rules suspended, adopted; vote: motion carried. Ordinance 2026‑6‑G (DOC juvenile grant funds 9127 & 9128): introduced, rules suspended, adopted; vote: motion carried.
Why it matters The planning‑fee and data‑center ordinances change how developers and applicants will interact with county staff and the board. The fee schedule affects the cost of applications for five years; the data‑center overlay creates a formal review path and reserves final siting discretion for elected officials rather than appointed bodies. The retroactive ordinance and grant‑fund creation are administrative steps that affect legal codification and fund tracking.
What’s next Planning staff and the data‑center committee will continue work this summer to produce more detailed recommendations for plan commission review. The new fee schedule takes effect per the ordinance language, and applicants seeking data‑center overlay designation must follow the newly established procedures.
