Rules sent back

Jay County Commissioners are back on the clock.
On Monday, Jay/Portland Building and Planning director John Hemmelgarn delivered to commissioners copies of proposed zoning changes for confined feeding operations in Jay County that were recently rejected by Jay County Plan Commission. Commissioners now have 45 days to act on the ordinance.
In its July meeting, plan commission voted to reject the amended language that commissioners added in June to the proposed changes initially sent to them by plan commission.
The amended language includes changes to requirements for mail notification, setback lengths, the amount of swine allowed for operations, the definition of manure storage structures and specifications for plan proposals.
Within the next 45 days, commissioners can approve the changes they were delivered Monday, which includes their amended language. If they fail to act within the timeframe, county attorney Bill Hinkle said the proposed changes the plan commission initially sent to commissioners will pass.
At its July meeting, plan commission either had to fully accept or reject the amended language sent to it by commissioners. After the initial vote for rejection, commission members took a series of votes on each amendment to offer recommendations to commissioners.
The issue that garnered the most discussion was mail notification. The commissioners’ amended language requires all property owners and tenants within a 1-mile radius of a proposed construction site be notified via certified mail of the proposed plan.
The plan commission recommended at its July meeting a half-mile radius and regular mail notification whereas the proposed changes initially sent to commissioners call for a half-mile radius and certified mail.
Hinkle said that if commissioners wanted to adopt the plan commission’s recent recommendation regarding mail notification, it would require sending the ordinance back to plan commission who would then schedule a public hearing and meeting, act on the proposal and send it back to commissioners.
“This could be done very quickly if that’s the only change you want to make,” Hinkle said.
Commissioners gave no indication Monday of what action they will take on the proposed changes.
The discussion to change the county’s CFO regulations has now lasted more than two years, beginning in summer 2014 after J Star Farms started construction on a chicken operation without the proper permits.
Meanwhile, commissioners passed resolution 2016-05, which amends the Cumulative Capital Development (CCD) fund to include “other general capital expenditures as determined by the Jay County Commissioners.”
Amending the CCD fund has been a topic of ongoing county budget discussions, with the objective that the amended fund can take in capital expenditures that are currently being budgeted in the county’s general fund.
In other business, commissioners Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman, absent Faron Parr:
•Heard from Jay Emergency Management Agency director Ralph Frazee that he will be in Atlanta next week for training. He said he also intends to send two employees to vehicle stabilization training next month in Cortland, New York.
•Were given a quote from auditor Anna Culy to acquire for a new copy machine for her office. After a trade in, government discount and loyalty credit, the copier would cost $10,082. Leasing it would cost $180.47 per month for 63 months, with a $1 purchase option. Culy said she’s looking to upgrade next year and will seek more bids.
•Met in executive session for 10 minutes to discuss pending litigation. No decisions were made, Hinkle said.