The Ellettsville, Indiana Plan Commission met in
regular session on
Conflict of Interest Statement
Sandra Hash asked the commissioners if any of them
have any conflict of interest on any items listed on the agenda for this
evenings meeting. No conflicts of
interest were stated by Plan Commission members.
Roll Call: Members present were: Sandra Hash – Vice President; Don Calvert, Ron
Wayt, Dan Swafford, Frank Buczolich and
Members Absent: Terry Baker and Phillip Smith
Approval of the Minutes-
Sandra Hash requested
a motion for approval of the
Old Business
Satellite Dish Code Revision – PUD Section/Fees for
Application
Sign Code Revision – LED lights and other code changes
Connie went over the sign code changes in its entirety. The sign code is not intended to and does not
restrict, limit or control the content or message of signs. The sign code allows for a variety in number
and type of signs for a use.
Connie added two statements under “Purpose” outlining
what the sign applicant is required to do.
There will be an application packet.
The term “Director of Planning or designee” will be used throughout the
whole document.
The section “Approval Process” was added which gives
more flexibility. The sign code provides
three types of sign applications:
Standard, Alternative and Limited.
They will all have different requirements.
Connie would like to continue charging for changing
signs. A new application will be
required so the Planning Department knows they are still in compliance. Normal maintenance shall not be considered
alteration or changed unless it exceeds 50 percent of the present value of the
sign.
Connie has been working on different sign
applications. She will take the code
“apart” and put it into “checklist form”.
An Oversight Committee will be formed for special
districts. Application for sign permits
in or immediately adjacent to identified special districts (historic,
Application Denial:
If an application is denied (either by the Director of Planning or
designee for a Standard or Limited Sign permit or by the Plan Commission for an
Alternative Sign permit) the Director of Planning or designee shall provide the
applicant with a written notice of the denial within five business days of the
denial. There will be a listing for
Criteria for Approval. The “original”
application fee will cover all appeals.
Connie will need more time to cross compare height and
size restrictions.
Appeals can be made to the Plan Commission by filing a
written notice of appeal with the Director of Planning or designee within ten
days of the determination.
Permit Expiration; if there is no business after a
certain length of time, the sign permit would be considered a lapsed
period.
There are license requirements for sign
installers. Sign installers shall have
an electrical license to perform electrical work on illuminated or neon signs.
Connie Griffin added some definitions: Changeable Sign, Electronic Message,
Illuminated Sign, Noncommercial Opinion Sign, Permanent Sign, Political Sign,
Portable Sign and Real Estate Sign.
The definition of “Sign” is a message to attract the
attention of the general public, wherever located and however constructed or
affixed if visible from a public street or right-of-way.
The definition of Temporary Sign means a sign intended
to display either commercial or noncommercial messages of a transitory or
temporary nature. If the condition of a
temporary sign becomes unsightly, torn, faded or in the process of decline, the
sign shall be considered a public nuisance and litter and will be removed by
the Ellettsville Police Department or the Department of Planning.
Special Promotion Inflatable/Wind Banners will be
added and considered a little more in depth.
A temporary sign application will be needed for these types of signs.
Sign Permit Fee
There will be a town zoning and compliance review fee
and standard sign application on file for each sign. The standard sign permit fee is $50 per
sign.
The Alternative Sign permit will be based on a chart
per sign. The example Connie gave was
Hoosier Tire and Muffler shop hanging banners over their bays.
Sign Ordinance Violation Fine
Connie changed
the violation to a Class D Ordinance Violation of $100 not to exceed $500. If a business, not for profit agency or
public agency receives two notices of violation within one year for a sign code
violation the sign permit shall be revoked and the signs removed from the
premises by the sign permit applicant by order of the Ellettsville
New Business
Zone Commercial 3, “Designated
Russ Ryle stated
the town has a Thoroughfare Plan. The
Thoroughfare Plan defines weight and axle limits of trucks on certain
streets.
Dan Swafford
said the town does establish truck routes.
If there is construction going on, the semi trucks need to be allowed to
travel to those areas. If the town
established truck routes, we need to make sure those roads are in good
shape.
MPO Council Appointed Proxy Vote
Don Calvert suggested all acronyms be defined before
using them (for example MPO, LED).
Multiple Checklist Establishment
Connie Griffin has
the Site Regulations and the Plan Commission Checklist finished. She is working on the Sign Application
checklist.
Connie announced a revision will be made to Toilet and
Sanitary Sewer Connection Required in October stating “any home not connected
to the Town of
Updates
Status Report on the Heritage Trail Project
Connie Griffin stated
she and Rick Coppock will meet with INDOT around
I-69 Grant – Quarterly Report, Consultant Selection,
Bids, etc
Connie Griffin, Sandra Hash and Jim Ragle have met with several different
consultants. She presented all the
information on a chart for the Plan Commission members. During the initial description of the
project, Connie stated many firms may be hired to complete all task aspects of
the grant.
The consultants would be hired to conduct:
Connie, Sandra and Jim will meet again to go over the
bids. The consultants were asked to
break down (in categories) the work they would do and what amount.
This grant is to maximize our natural resources in our
community and to protect them.
Ike Grimes Annexation – October Annexation
Connie will present
this annexation to the Plan Commission in October. Connie is working with Mr. Grimes on an
outline and time frame for submitting his public hearing. Rick Coppock gave Connie a Fiscal Plan
template. There are three parcels Mr.
Grimes would like to annex. The
General Office Information – Recent Statistics and
Work Plan Info
Certification “Project Wet” – Stormwater Education
education. This
program did not focus on just kids; it was about educational outreach for
adults also. Don Calvert asked if her
time spent on “Project Wet” has been greatly reduced because the kids have not
been in school or is Connie overwhelmed and not having the time. Connie said her time has been reduced with
public education and outreach because of other priorities in the department.
LTAP (Local Technical Assistance Program) Training
Connie attended
the LTAP training on August 6th.
This training is for people that are the ERC (Employee in Responsible
Charge) and the Consultant Project manager of grants. This workshop was for Level I Certification
training. There are a lot of manuals and chapters to read; you can not say you
are certified just because you attended the training. This training stated “you saw their
presentation and you developed an understanding of how much detail is required
to be the ERC”. INDOT wants to get away
from some of the extra burden of doing this for the local planning agencies and
putting more responsibilities on the local public agencies. The ERC will oversee the grant and make sure
all the reports are submitted. There is
a two page listing of the ERC responsibilities.
The Town needs to review the list and select the right candidate to
become the ERC of the Town of
Privilege of the Floor – non Agenda Items
Town Code Enforcement
Russ Ryle,
Sandra explained the “effort” is there but it has been
sporadic; one administration wanted enforcement by patrolling not “complaint
driven”. It was hurtful to the people
enforcing it at that time and they “backed off”. The Town did not have the manpower to do
patrolling and it reverted back to “complaint driven”.
Connie will look into the tall grass on
Russ Ryle asked “are we overstepping the practical
limits of town government by putting these unenforceable fines on the
books?”
Sandra explained a procedure for collecting fines was
established by ordinance:
It was discussed at a conference, when you take
someone to court, you can attach attorney fees to the fines. This would allow payment for the person
filing the case to collect their fees along with the town’s fines. There is good and bad about every situation
that has been looked at for collections.
Sandra suggests an independent person take violators to small claims
court, for a reasonable fee.
Ron Wayt asked how many ordinance violations are there
in a month. Sandra said not too many and
that Frank Nierzwicki put hefty fines on some properties. Ron Wayt stated the enforcement for fines
should come from the Clerk-Treasurer’s office.
This duty could be added to a job description since it will only need to
done a few times a year. Most people
know when they receive a collection letter, they have done something
wrong.
Smithville Cable
Don Calvert stated
the Smithville Cable Company is doing a good job. They came in, put the lines in and took care
of the lawns.
Adjournment
Frank Buczolich made the motion to adjourn. Dan Swafford seconded. Sandra Hash adjourned the meeting at