Former town attorney outlines origin of Veedersburg’s two-mile zoning radius; council to review county subdivision ordinance

Mark McGready, who served as the town’s attorney in 1997, told the Veedersburg Town Council the town adopted a 2-mile zoning radius decades ago largely to protect the school and to limit certain operations — such as confined feed operations — outside town limits.

McGready said the state law permits a municipality to regulate land uses up to two miles beyond its limits and explained the town’s 1997 ordinance carved out a list of specific uses that required special exceptions. He described the ordinance as modeled on Warren County’s approach at the time and said town leaders intentionally kept most outside-the-town rules light, limiting only a small set of potentially problematic uses.

Why it matters: Fountain County recently adopted a subdivision ordinance (council members referenced a March 15 approval by the county commissioners). Council members discussed whether the county ordinance would supersede the town’s controls in the two-mile area, whether the town should review the county’s ordinance, and whether intergovernmental approaches (a shared plan commission or selective annexation) might better address technical subdivision requirements.

Council response and next steps: Council members asked for a copy of the county subdivision ordinance to review at the next meeting. Several members urged caution about relinquishing the town’s two-mile control, noting that once the town gives up that authority it can be difficult to regain. The council agreed to place the county subdivision ordinance on a future agenda for review and discussion.

Representative quote: Mark McGready summarized the law’s scope: “the state law allows you to zone up to 2 miles outside the town limits.”