Commissioner Overmyer suggests suspension of Plan Commission meetings until funding is available

County Plan Director Ty Adley was on Monday’s County Commissioner’s agenda for a rezoning hearing for a property in Walkerton.

Adley told the commissioners that after they conducted the public hearing during the Plan Commission meeting over 30 notices to neighbors and even the petitioner’s was returned in mass by the United States Post Office.  He was unsure of the issue but felt, from a legal standpoint, that the agenda item for Monday’s meeting be tabled so the Plan Commission can readvertise and then rehear the Burch rezoning request. 

The commissioners agreed and the item was tabled. 

Commissioner Kevin Overmyer attended last Thursday’s County Council meeting when Mr. Hostetler was requested to attend pertaining to the Plan Commission’s budget for advertising and legal services.  Overmyer said, “I know this board doesn’t have any power over you or the plan commission, but I would hope that you, Commissioner Burroughs who sits on the plan commission and Mr. Hostetler would sit down and talk about the future of plan commission meetings.  I would suggest that maybe we just suspend them until you have some funding in place to pay for your advertising and your attorney fees because for one person to sit here and dictate who gets a hearing and who doesn’t get a hearing is not what this county is about.”  Overmyer continued, “So if you don’t have funding and as Mr. Lebbin explained it, that Mr. Hostetler, if you expend money without having money in your budget it is a felon.  So, I would suggest that you, Mr. Burroughs and Mr. Hostetler sit down because I don’t want to see anybody get cited for a felon.”

Overmyer said he knows the commissioners can motion that action, but he feels some action needs to happen so the plan commission can get funding to operate.  In closing he said, “It’s just one of my suggestions that you guys look into that and just suspend until you get money because we cannot continue to operate in this fashion.”