County?s subdivision ordinance still being tweaked

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors and assistant county attorney will continue to tweak the county?s new subdivision ordinance before its third reading May 4.

The supervisors unanimously passed the ordinance from its second to third reading Monday morning.

During Monday?s public hearing, local attorney Brandon Nelson asked that language clearly spelling out the criteria for a subdivision be included in the ordinance. He also expressed concern about the language discouraging subdivisions on land with a corn suitability rating of 50 or higher.

Tom Makeig, a local attorney who questioned the supervisors about the ordinance March 17, said he has been speaking with city officials about how the new ordinance will impact Fairfield?s 2-mile extraterritorial zone. He believes city officials are interested in discussing the matter.

Nelson also questioned the legality of minor subdivisions, stating cities and counties are able to enact stricter laws than the state but not more lenient laws. Assistant county attorney Pat McAvan said other counties have established ordinances governing minor subdivisions, and he believes the ordinance?s language is permissible under state law.

Because the county?s subdivision ordinance was not enforced in previous years, McAvan said the county is now just trying to clean up the ordinance and make it easy to be enforced equitably.

Supervisor Dick Reed said there?s still some work to be done on the ordinance before its final reading.

Also Monday, the supervisors approved a three-year strategic plan for mental health and developmental disability services.

Central point coordinator Sandy Stever said many stakeholders participated in the plan?s creation. She also said the plan can be amended in the future if the county?s goals change.

During his committee reports, Reed announced the house at 107 W. Briggs Ave. will be moved to the Maasdam Barns site April 29. Although the planned route ? west on Burlington Avenue, south on 32nd Street and east on Libertyville Road ? is 6 miles longer than a more direct route, Reed said it will cost $50,000 less.

For the complete article, see the Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.