PORTER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2006
6:00 P.M.

The regular meeting of the Porter County Board of Commissioners convened at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, 2006, in the Commissioners’ Chambers of the Administration Center.

Those present were: Commissioners Robert Harper, John Evans and Carole Knoblock, County Attorney Gwenn Rinkenberger, Administrative Assistant Melissa Hartig and Recording Secretary Vi Wagner.

President Harper called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPROVAL OF PAYROLL

Com. Evans moved to approve the payroll of July 24, 2006, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Com. Evans moved to approve the minutes of June 20, July 5, and July 18, 2006, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

APPROVAL OF CLAIMS

Com. Evans moved to approve the claims of August 1, 2006, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

HAVA VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEM AGREEMENT-
Jane Pecor, Voter’s Registration

Com. Harper, “The first thing on our agenda is our registration system. Do you want to tell us a little bit of what this is about and what we need to do.”

Ms. Pecor, “I am representing Dale Brewer who couldn’t be here. This is the state wide voter registration system agreement. It’s telling you, that as the Commissioners, that we have the equipment that is listed here; we are using it only for a state wide voter registration system; and we are not breaking it and so on and so forth. Apparently they just feel they need a signed agreement with each county that has the equipment that the state has furnished.”

Com. Harper, “I’ve got a question about that. What about access to documents? Voters registration information has always been public information, but it is my understanding that a lot of that won’t be kept locally anymore. How is that going to work? Is that controlled by this agreement?”

Ms. Pecor, “Anything that is county, we can get for you. Anyone that wants county information that is able to be put out that is accessed information, we can do that. Anything outside of Porter County’s information we can look at it but we can’t get it off of the computer.”

Com. Harper, “The reason I ask this is because I noticed that they passed a law that will charge $5,000.00 for that disk downstate and I don’t know if you saw that or not.”

Ms. Pecor, “They never told us anything like that.”

Com. Harper, “Legislature passed a law that anybody that wants to get the disk from downstate has to pay $5,000.00 to get it and that is why I wondered if local people are going to be able to get local information like they always have.”

Ms. Pecor, “We will still get the local information as it comes. You get the information on a disk, on a CD, and it’s mostly candidates are the only ones that get it. We don’t sell it and we also tell the candidates they are not allowed to sell it because we don’t want Pizza Hut using voter registration names to send out their coupons. But, when we do this it has the voter’s name, address, voting record, sometimes a phone number, sometimes a birth date depending on how we do the report. It does not have a driver’s license number, it does not have a social security number; we try to keep that type of thing out of it. We give it to the candidate and then they do their mailing labels or whatever.”

Com. Harper, “I was just curios because I thought it was going to be unfair if all the local people had to pay $5,000.00 to get a disk downstate just to get the local county’s information.”

Ms. Pecor, “I think that would probably be the state wide information and it’s not pertaining to the local counties.”

Com. Harper, “Good, glad to hear that.”

Ms. Pecor, “For the local candidates. That’s all I have.”

Com. Evans, “Did you review this?”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “I have.”

Com. Evans moved to approve the state voter registration system agreement for the state of Indiana and the county of Porter, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

Com. Harper, “Do you need this back tonight?”

Ms. Pecor, “When you get it signed, I’ll send it back downstate. Just make sure I get it in my office. Thank you.”

APPROVAL OF MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE DIRECTOR AGREEMENT

Com. Evans, “Did you review this agreement as well?”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Yes.”

Com. Knoblock moved to approve the employment contract of Brian Schafer as the Memorial Opera House Director, Com. Evans seconded,

Com. Harper, “We have the agreements available here for public record.”

Motion carried.

MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE BUDGET DISCUSSION

Com. Harper, “We also have an amended budget that we have to approve and submit to the Council on the Opera House, it’s included in here also.”

Com. Evans moved to approve the amended budget for presentation to the County Council, Com. Knoblock seconded,

Com. Harper, “Let me just say this about it and maybe John or Carole may have something to add. This budget, the Opera House basically, the goal is for them to work with its own funds that they bring in so this budget is just an attempt to change the way, and some of the positions and so forth, to make sure that this Opera House is able to pay for itself. That was our intent in working on this. Do either one of you have anything?”

Com. Evans, “This cuts the budget by about almost $40,000.00 total.”

Com. Harper, “Which leaves more discretionary money. Costume bills and different bills that are higher for plays and so forth.”

Com. Evans, “Hopefully, this will be able to give them a vehicle to get their outstanding bills caught up and taken care of.”

Motion carried.

Atty. Rinkenberger, “The job description changing should be a position from full time to part time? You should have a motion to approve it because we need to approve that and send it off to the Council.”

Com. Evans moved to accept the recommendation of Counsel and change the job descriptions from full time to part time for submission to the Council, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

Com. Harper, “Gwenn, let me say this. I think the Council approved that in principle at their meeting.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “That’s good, in principle, that we are taking job descriptions and amending them and changing their job duties to keep things clear, we need to make a motion to approve new job descriptions and have them typed up and on the record or we won’t even know . . .”

Com. Harper, “All right. Do I have a motion to approve these new job descriptions?”

Com. Evans moved to approve the job descriptions, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

Atty. Rinkenberger, “What job descriptions are we changing? We’re changing the facility director from full time to contractual and then we are changing two full time to part time, and we are leaving one full time at full time. But if we don’t say in on the record, then the record won’t show that.”

Com. Harper, “So you’ve included that in your motion, correct, John?”

Com. Evans, “Yes, let the record reflect that.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Good, that’s all we’ve got.”


OFFICE HOLDERS/DEPARTMENT HEADS
Al Hoagland, Highway Superintendent
Open bids for highway salt

Com. Harper, “The next thing is the opening bids for highway salt. Al?”

Com. Evans, “How much do you have stockpiled, Al?”

Mr. Hoagland, “Truthfully, about 700 ton.”

Com. Harper, “How many new trucks do we have coming this year?”

Mr. Hoagland, “We’ve got six more this year.”

Com. Harper, “And we had six last year. The trucks are more salt efficient?”

Mr. Hoagland, “Yes, they are considerably more efficient.”

Com. Harper, “30%?”
Mr. Hoagland, “I would go 30%. We are more than pleased.”

Com. Harper, “Here’s an interesting one, Detroit Salt Company declines to bid. But would like to be on the bidder’s list. American Rock Salt, they are unable to provide a bid and hope to remain on your bidder’s list. That tells me that there is something going on in the salt market. The next bid is from Cargill. Bulk ice control dump, Burns Harbor, Indiana, price per ton is $42.45. Is that all you need off that, Al?”

Mr. Hoagland, “We’ll have to go through them.”

Com. Harper, “North American Salt Company, they bid obviously because they have a check in here. Rock salt, roll salt, delivered $39.42 a ton. Morton International Salt Division, 20 ton minimum, dump truck delivery, $41.05 a ton. These bids will be available if anyone wants to look them over tonight. They will be on the table and you can look them over and get back to us at out next meeting with your recommendations. So if there is any bidders here tonight, they will be over there on the table to take a look at them after the meeting, or right now if you want to look at them. The next thing on the agenda is reports from Commissioners.”

COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS

All Districts:

1. LPA Claim Voucher #3 for $8,242.16 to reimburse the County for Bridge Inspections, Phase I, Project BR-NBIS(555) – Des #0600062.Recommend approval.

Com. Evans moved to approve, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.


North District: Com. Evans

1. Was able to obtain federal STP Group I funds for the replacement of Bridge 127, Lute Road over Willow Creek in Portage. I have submitted the “Notice- Request for Consultant Proposal” for the preliminary, design and construction engineering for this project. The proposals would be due at the Auditor’s office by 3 p.m. CST, September 19, 2006. They will then be opened by the Commissioners at 6 p.m. at their regularly scheduled September 19, 2006 meeting. Recommend approval.

Com. Evans moved to approve, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

2. Wood Ridge Hills Subdivision Performance Letter of Credit #CTCS-272857 from JP Morgan Chase Bank in the amount of $75,000.00. Expiration date is April 26, 2006. Recommend approval.

Com. Evans moved to approve, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

Center District: Com. Harper

1. Was able to obtain federal STP Group I funds for the replacement of Bridge 96, County Road 250 West (Tower Road) over Salt Creek, west of Valparaiso. I have submitted the “Notice – Request for Consultant Proposal” for the preliminary, design, and construction engineering for the project. The proposals would be due at the Auditor’s office by 3 p.m. CST, September 19, 2006. They will then be opened by the
Commissioners at 6 pm at their regularly scheduled September 19, 2006 meeting. Recommend approval

Com. Harper moved to approve, Com. Evans seconded, motion carried.

South District: Com. Knoblock

1. Prairie Landings Subdivision, Phase 1, Performance Letter of Credit #HACH110105OS from Harris Bank in the amount of $50,000.00. New expiration date is July 31, 2007. Recommend approval.

Com. Knoblock moved to approve, Com. Evans seconded, motion carried.

CORRESPONDENCE

Clerk’s monthly report for June 2006 is on file.

Request for Transfer of funds—Commissioners

Fund 132.20 $73,250 from 3950 contractual services
Into 4510 data processing

Wireless upgrade project for JDC, Highway, and Animal Shelter.

Com. Evans moved to approve, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

Request for Transfer of funds—Memorial Opera House

Fund 158.44 $8,500 from 1110 salaries
Into 3950 contractual services

Fund 158.44 $4,912.35 from 1110 salaries
Into 3760 royalties

To cover part time director’s salary through 12/31/06 and to help pay some of the royalty invoices already incurred this year.

Com. Evans moved to approve, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

Request for Additional Appropriation—Highway Dept.

Fund 02 $75,000 to 2210 gas, fuel & lube

To meet fuel needs through 12/31/06

Fund 02 $300 to 2262 paint

Traffic paint for school cross walks.

Fund 02 $20,000 to 3650 vehicle repair

Funds for truck and equipment repairs.

Com. Evans moved to approve, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.


ADD MEMBERS TO THE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT BOARD

Com. Evans, “I would like to make a motion that we change the number of people that serve on the Wildlife Management Board and add the names of Mary Ann Zona-Gregg, Alan Resetar and Glen Wiles and put them on that board and give them the ability to help the three people that are there make some progress. They are king of stymied right now.”

Com. Evans moved to change the number of members that serve on the Wildlife Management Board and add Mary Ann Zona-Gregg, Alan Resetar and Glen Wiles, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.


APPROVAL OF $20,000 FROM CEDIT TO WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT BOARD TO PAY FOR VANDALISM DAMAGE

Com. Evans, “Also, I would like to spend $20,000.00 from CEDIT funds Project 2, Fund 251, the North District allocation to Wildlife Management Board for the purpose of assisting them in reconstructing damage done out there by vandalism in the fact that all the signage was torn down, benches were damaged beyond repair, most of them and they need some assistance in putting that preserve all back together. I want to spend $20,000.00 of North District funds to do that.”

Com Evans moved to approve $20,000.00 from North District CEDIT for assisting the Wildlife Management Board in repairing damage done by vandalism at the Zona Wildlife Sanctuary, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

APPROVAL OF CLAIM FOR STANDARD LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

Com. Evans moved that in compliance with Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company, the claim will be unnamed because of the HIPPA Act, in the specific amount of $200,000.00, with maximum benefit of $1.8 million as requested by the insurance carrier, Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried.

APPROVAL OF FUNDS FROM CEDIT FOR COUNTY HOME

Com. Harper, “I have a question for Melissa. We have the final bill from this county home. Is that correct?”

Ms. Hartig, “We haven’t received it yet, but that is what is left of the contractual agreement.”

Com. Harper, “And we know that is coming in. And we also have a bill that we have not received yet for the phones.”

Mr. Hartig, “And that number was taken off of the proposal.”

Com. Harper, “And I would like to move, or to ask someone to move, that we take that money from Fund 251 which is the Capital Improvement Fund for the Center District for the year 2005.”

Com. Evans moved to approve Com. Harper’s request, Com. Knoblock seconded,

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Are you calling the Capital Improvement Fund, is that our CEDIT Fund?”

Com. Harper, “Yes, Fund 251. Project 2, capital improvement, Commissioner district fund for the Center District, capital improvements.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “For 2005?”

Com. Harper, “For 2005. Those two capital improvements, we take from that fund. Is that all right?”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Yes.”

Motion carried.

Com. Harper, “All right. Carole, anything else? John? Let’s take a five minute break and then we’ll go into Plan Commission.”

The meeting was recessed at 6:25 pm for a five minute break.

Com. Harper called the meeting back to order at 6:35 pm.

PLAN COMMISSION
Rezone, I1 to R1, Vaughn and Sharlyn Staab, owners, 1st reading
Robert Thompson, Plan Commission Director

Mr. Thompson, “This is Plan Commission Resolution No. 06-5, petitioner Vaughn and Sharlyn Staab requesting a zoning map amendment for their parcel of land from I2 to R1, single family residential. This was before the County Commissioners, I apologize, I don’t remember the date, but it was continued at the Commissioners’ meeting. This is the last meeting before the ninety days is up and the Plan Commission gave a recommendation of unfavorable recommendation for the R1 by a 6-2 vote.”

Atty. Ferngren, “Thank you.”

Com. Harper, “Bill, let me say this and for the audience, too. I have been encouraged by my cohorts here, especially our county attorney, to remind everybody that we have heard a lot of this already and so what we would really like to hear are if there are any changes and then we will go from there. And also, let me say to everyone in the audience that we are going to give everyone a chance to talk but everyone has pretty much gone over the same thing, so, if you have any new comments, a new plan and if you have new comments, that is what we are up for.”

Atty. Ferngren, “And very brief, there are no changes since the last meeting. Just to get everybody up to speed, we are making a commitment that all the lots will be at least 11,000 square feet and that the density would not exceed 252 lots on this parcel. We started at the Plan Commission at around 290 some odd lots, came down to 270 or so, then some of the Plan Commission members discussed that the 11,000 square foot minimum lot size was what they felt was a more appropriate threshold. We are willing to commit in writing as part of the written commitments for the zone change, if that would be the case. I don’t care to burden the Commissioners with an extensive discussion about this either. I think we have shown a lot of good faith to get to where we are today and we would be happy if you approve the rezone.”

Com. Harper, “I had a couple questions I wanted to ask you. You’re asking to rezone how many acres?”

Atty. Ferngren, “166.5 is what my numbers reflect.”

Com. Harper, “There was some discussion at some time in this plan. There was a large area in the back that wasn’t going to be developed.”

Atty. Ferngren, “That’s correct.”

Com. Harper, “Is that part of that 166? Is that part of this legal description?”

Atty. Ferngren, “Yes. It is and the reason is, it will probably easier for me to show you. This is the area that you are talking about, Commissioner, and the reason it can’t be developed is if you went out to the site, this really drops off tremendously, sloped in this area, and this is all part of the Salt Creek area and that is intended for part of the open space provided on the site.”

Com. Harper, “Is that all then? Let me say this, we are eliminating them to just, apparently, we are right where we were the last time we were here. Is there anyone in the audience that thinks that they need to call to our attention something we didn’t go over last time; has anything changed, or is there anyone that didn’t get a chance to speak last time for some reason?”

John Goetz, “331 N. 250 West. I only had a couple concerns from the discussion last time when you talked about the sewer systems and the water run off for Salt Creek at the basin. What provisions are going to be made to protect that waterway, okay, for the run off at the settling ponds and how are they going to be taken care of in the future, that kind of thing. The second one is on the low pressure sewer systems, everything I found on them, they are very good, okay, if designed properly. I found a couple issues where they were designed improperly on the cheap, if you will, wrong pumps, pressures, binds, blindsides. Down in Missouri, what I found, they call it the red light district because a red light goes on in every house because the pump is in failure or the line is in failure and what not. Again, it is just an assurance that we want it done properly, that the design is going to be done properly, we’re not going to create environmental hazards, okay, and just the water run off, and what’s going on with the creek because there’s already issues there. So what are we going to do to prevent anything further and how are we actually going to improve the situation.”

Com. Harper, “Anyone else that either didn’t get a chance to talk last time or thinks they want to bring up something we didn’t go over last time? Do you want to address that one issue?”

Atty. Ferngren, “Very quickly, it sounds like the sewer system, and he has done some research on that and that is great. The storm system is the other, very quickly on the low pressure. We are aware that there are requirements that need to be met, this would involve approval of the sewer design by IDEM. So that will all be accomplished. The city of Valparaiso also has the requirements with respect to the low pressure sewer system and the appropriate pumps, so it’s not like we just pick whatever we want to put in there. The city who would actually be providing the utility service would have to approve what our system includes as well as IDEM. And Gary, if you want to address the storm water?”

Mr. Radtke, “If I can just hit on more part of the low pressure. I designed three systems, low pressure systems, one in ___ with 400 lots already so this is a smaller system than I designed already and three other systems. So I am very familiar with low pressure sewer systems. The drainage, we will be having vegetated swale, we will be having rain gardens. We are going to be treating the storm water. Our company has been involved in about three systems already within Valparaiso and Gary and Porter. We are kind of the ground work of treating surface water so we have now worked on storm tech systems and we will be doing that to meet all the new requirements of EPA. So we will be treating the water prior to it being discharged into the Salt Creek Basin.”

Com. Harper, “Anything else? All right, I am going to close the public hearing if it’s all right with Carole and John and before we take a motion I will allow some discussion if each of the commissioners want to make comments on this. But, before we start that, I want to ask our attorney because I think this is right. It is my understanding that we have these written commitments and the commitments will go with the land and they can’t be changed by the Plan Commission if we rezone it.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “No, they cannot.”

Com. Harper, “They cannot. All right, so if we rezone it they can’t be changed by the Plan Commission. It is further my understanding that the commitments are, and when I asked that question earlier I wanted to make sure that these commitments, that we have this entire property covered, that in no way could the Plan Commission make any changes or allow more than 252 of single family homes and no lot would less than 11,000 square feet.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “They would have no jurisdiction over that.”

Com. Harper, “I just wanted to make it plain. Carole had a couple questions and there are a lot of things that we don’t have commitments for because we are not dealing with water issues, we are dealing with what we have in the commitments here. Those are the commitments, the two main ones that I see. Bill, am I hitting those pretty much?”

Atty. Ferngren, “Yes. Section 4 of the written commitments that I provided you at the last meeting, the last sentence says, “Except that no lot designated for a single family residential home in the development may be less than 11,000 square feet no shall the development of the real estate contain more than 252 single family residential lots. Those are the commitments, 11,000 square feet at a minimum, no more than 252.”

Com. Harper, “Now there was some discussion that this was not going to be septic, that this was going to be on city service.”

Atty. Ferngren, “Yes, we have a petition,…the city utility board, that was another document I provided you at the last meeting.”

Com. Harper, “Is that a commitment here too, that this will have services from some conservancy district or is that a commitment?”

Atty. Ferngren, “I think this property, we couldn’t develop these lot sizes without municipal services. I mean we couldn’t put an 11,000 square foot lot out there if we wanted to.”

Com. Harper, “It would limit it to one acre, correct?”

Atty. Ferngren, “Correct. Or whatever the current standard would be at that time.”

Com. Harper, “Which would be one acre, right? At least the way it is now.”

Atty. Ferngren, “Right.”

Com. Harper, “If they didn’t have city services.”

Mr. Thompson, “If they didn’t have city services, there could be a potential of doing 30,000. And the minimum for state requirement for septic.”

Atty. Ferngren, “In either event, the lot sizes would be inaccurate if there is no utility service, then the smallest they can be is 30,000 square feet.”

Com. Harper, “If you were in the city of Valparaiso and you had utilities, what would be the smallest lot?”

Atty. Ferngren, “I don’t have that ordinance in front of me. I think it would be 8,000 square feet.”

Com. Harper, “So if you were annexed and developed this, and you have city services, you can have 8,000 square feet per lot.”

Atty. Ferngren, “Correct.”

Com. Harper, “First let’s do questions. Do you have any questions, John?”

Com. Evans, “I have no questions or comments.”

Com. Harper, “How about you, Carole?”

Com. Knoblock, “I personally, I am not against changing it to R1, but I still feel there are too many houses. And can we get more commitments?”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Only if they are willing to give them.”

Com. Knoblock, “I mean like on the water, storm water, and the treatment? I think I needs more commitments.”

Atty. Ferngren, “Yes, your ordinance also provides, as part of your storm water ordinance, requires that the common phrase, best management practices, so that includes all the things Mr. Radtke talked about with respect to, you know, how do you treat storm water before it leaves your site. So certainly any development in this parcel is going to require that we meet your ordinance.”

Com. Knoblock, “Do we need it on paper then?”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Not if they’re bound by an ordinance we have in effect, it would be repetitive to have it in the written commitments.”

Mr. Thompson, “Bill is correct, they are mentioning best management practices but it is coming out of a document that’s full of the numbers of best management practices so if they are talking about putting in rain gardens, and other treatments that were specific in this meeting, I think it would be best, just my opinion, to put it in writing so that way that’s best management practice that we do spell out is used. Rain gardens are fine, they are good.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “So you think a written commitment spelling out this specific best management practice that they …”

Mr. Thompson, “That they just mentioned..”

Atty. Ferngren, “And those were rain gardens and vegetative swales. So we will incorporate those and add those to the written commitments.”

Atty. Rinkenberger, “Any other written commitments?”

Com. Evans moved to approve the rezone from I1 to R1 single family zoning with the aforementioned written commitments of 11,000 square feet per lot, 252 lot maximum and specific rain gardens and vegetative swales on this piece of property,

Com. Harper, “I thought we were going to have a chance to discuss it.”

Com. Evans, “Oh, I thought we were done.”

Com. Harper, “Before we vote on it, I would like to make some comments. I read an article in the paper this weekend with interest. And it said some have the vision we are going to be like Schaumburg, Illinois. And I think about that because I think of their high taxes, their traffic problems, the crime increase they’ve had, and you know, maybe that is what is going to happen here and probably you can’t stop it. But I’ve got to say a few things about it. It would seem to me with a subdivision after subdivision after subdivision that we are approving, that there has to be some area of the county left for what I call rural residential. Where you have the larger size lots. And it further seems to me that if you drive down 250 and look at the home owners around there, and most of them have chosen to live on 2, 3 or 4 acres. I understand that some that have more acreage that have remonstrated against this, may be back for the same type of zoning in months or years or so forth. I understand this to be a problem. But, what I see, and sometimes I question what I see, but what I see is people that live here, live here because they are not piled on top of one another, at least a lot of people that live here, live here that way because they don’t want an overcrowded school system, because they don’t want to go down Highway 30 and wait for hours to get somewhere. And what we are doing with, and you know when I hear 8,000 square feet, all the land, you know, the neighbors here maybe read about it in the paper, but all the land all the way out to 250 is going to be annexed here real quick if the plans go in and they will put those homes on 8,000 square feet. And they say well, it stops sprawl. Well, if you fill up Porter County with subdivisions with 8,000 square feet, it doesn’t stop anything, we are just going to have more traffic problems. If you take this road, and get real common sense about the whole thing, 250 is a traffic nightmare right now and I understand this is not your client’s problem, but it is a traffic nightmare. It’s got all those railroad tracks there, you get all piled up down that road, it’s already a traffic nightmare. So what is going to happen someday? And this is what always happens. Someone is going to say well, we have to put a bridge over the railroad tracks or do something like that because we’ve got all these people. Then we are looking at millions and millions of dollars and everybody’s taxes go up and that is what happens. You build all these homes and they don’t pay for themselves and the people are living here and the people that are buying the homes are going to end up paying for it. But everybody, we’re going to be living with taxes three times higher than anything else. Now there is some people, this Plan Commission, who took a look at this. We spent a long time at the Plan Commission and they thought this was more of rural residential area. That’s what I think. So, I think it should be rural residential and I am against the motion. But I just had to throw that in. So, John’s made the motion. Is there a second?”

Com. Knoblock seconded, motion carried with Com. Harper voting against.

Com. Harper, “Meeting is adjourned.”

Atty. Ferngren, “Thank you for your time.”

With no further business to discuss, the meeting was recessed.

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PORTER COUNTY, INDIANA


Robert P. Harper
John A. Evans
Carole M. Knoblock

Attest: Sandra K. Vuko, Auditor