July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
What were commissioners thinking? (09/26/06)
Editorial
What were they thinking?
Jay County Commissioners, who are building a solid track record of procrastination on one of the most emotional issues on the local level today, built on that put-if-off record Monday when they turned down recommended changes in local regulations on livestock operations.
With their unanimous "no" vote, the commissioners have effectively ignored the advice of many - including farmers, livestock farm critics and the county health officer.
Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer and Faron Parr, hinting they were hesitant to make any changes before results of a pending study by a group from Ball State University are available, continue to show a lack of leadership on the issue of confined feeding operations (CFOs) and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
While we agree that the Ball State study could provide valuable information on a touchy subject, we don't believe it should be used as an excuse to reject common-sense suggestions like requiring nearby property owners be notified of a planned CFO/CAFO or adding to current setback requirements.
Even if the Ball State study results in widely different proposals, the locally-generated ideas were ones which made sense.
Having sat through several early morning committee meetings and hours-long gatherings of a planning commission that is more than well-represented by livestock farmers, we can say that the proposed changes represented a compromise between those from every spectrum of the CFO issue.
But each time the commissioners have had a chance to act on proposed changes, they've either delayed the vote or, like Monday, voted no.
Theurer, who holds a state permit for a confined feeding operation, has been a consistently strong advocate of individual property rights and we respect his position.
There were signs over the past few months that Miller and Parr were prepared to approve the changes, but on Monday they voted with Theurer.
From experience, we know that the commissioners prefer to build a consensus and make their votes unanimous.
In general, it's a practice that makes sense.
But on a controversial issue that could affect thousands of Jay County residents, we'd prefer a vote of conscience, not one of convenience. - M.S.[[In-content Ad]]
Jay County Commissioners, who are building a solid track record of procrastination on one of the most emotional issues on the local level today, built on that put-if-off record Monday when they turned down recommended changes in local regulations on livestock operations.
With their unanimous "no" vote, the commissioners have effectively ignored the advice of many - including farmers, livestock farm critics and the county health officer.
Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer and Faron Parr, hinting they were hesitant to make any changes before results of a pending study by a group from Ball State University are available, continue to show a lack of leadership on the issue of confined feeding operations (CFOs) and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
While we agree that the Ball State study could provide valuable information on a touchy subject, we don't believe it should be used as an excuse to reject common-sense suggestions like requiring nearby property owners be notified of a planned CFO/CAFO or adding to current setback requirements.
Even if the Ball State study results in widely different proposals, the locally-generated ideas were ones which made sense.
Having sat through several early morning committee meetings and hours-long gatherings of a planning commission that is more than well-represented by livestock farmers, we can say that the proposed changes represented a compromise between those from every spectrum of the CFO issue.
But each time the commissioners have had a chance to act on proposed changes, they've either delayed the vote or, like Monday, voted no.
Theurer, who holds a state permit for a confined feeding operation, has been a consistently strong advocate of individual property rights and we respect his position.
There were signs over the past few months that Miller and Parr were prepared to approve the changes, but on Monday they voted with Theurer.
From experience, we know that the commissioners prefer to build a consensus and make their votes unanimous.
In general, it's a practice that makes sense.
But on a controversial issue that could affect thousands of Jay County residents, we'd prefer a vote of conscience, not one of convenience. - M.S.[[In-content Ad]]
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