Marshall County Plan Director Ty Adley presented an ordinance amendment to the commissioners for consideration concerning erosion control.
“An individual today can go build three, 2,000 square foot buildings on their property with no drainage requirements associated with their projects, but the individual next door that builds one, 6,000 square foot building is required to meet the drainage requirements,” explained Adley.
The surface area is the same, but Adley said the drainage requirements are not the same.
“It still has a massive storm water impact regardless of the size and the more you continue to build on top of it, the greater the storm water impact downstream. This is also in association with the River Basin Commission that’s reestablished.”
The Marshall County Plan Commission members approved the amendment 7-0-1.
However, the commissioners voted unanimously to deny the amendment. Commissioner Stan Klotz, who was the abstaining vote on the Plan Commission’s amendment recommendation, commented that he’s heard complaints from potential project managers that regulations in Marshall County are too strict to build.
“In my opinion, you should be bringing us a list of stuff that we could do without and try and make it easier to make this county more competitive,” commented Klotz. “The only way you’re going to compete with tax caps is through growth and we’re not getting it here.”
Commission President Kevin Overmyer noted that he’s heard the same complaints, including one during a drainage board meeting prior to last week’s commissioner’s meeting.
Adley countered saying that it has to do with erosion control and the different types of soils involved with a permit request or variance to build a certain size of building on a parcel.
The commissioners and Adley agreed that work needs to be done to address the issues in a future setting.
