Commissioners OK Revamped Border For Sewer District
Posted
Mark Howe-mhowe@timesuniononline.com
An adjustment was made Tuesday by Kosciusko County commissioners to the new sewer district borders to serve the Tippecanoe and Chapman lakes areas.
Ken Jones, of Jones Petrie Rafinski, South Bend, said he’d heard from several area residents and from that feedback he recommended commissioners omit:
• Homes on the west and south sides of the Lake Forest subdivision. Those lots do not have lake access.
• Several parcels along Chapman Lake Drive.
• Everything in Oswego south of Armstrong Road.
The commissioners approved the boundaries as presented, and a map of the new boundaries has been posted on the county’s website at kcgov.com.
Joe Tynan, who had headed up a private group to get sewer service at Tippecanoe Lake, thanked the commissioners for the speed in which they’ve handled the proposal. Jones said they’ve moved as fast as can be expected, but the process will likely slow once it reaches the state level.
Commissioners also approved a 3-percent budget increase to eight not-for-profits that received county funding. The eight groups are Kosciusko County 4-H, Cardinal Services, Kosciusko Home Care and Hospice, The Beaman Home, Kosciusko County Council on Aging and Aged, Animal Welfare League and Bowen Center.
A ninth entity, the St. Joseph River Basin Commission, got an increase from $1,000 in 2018 to $3,400 in 2019.
County Auditor Michelle Puckett presented an agreement for the county to reimburse Bowen Center, and in turn the county would be reimbursed by the state, for a teen court grant. The county would pay Bowen Center $40,000, then get their money back from a state grant. The commissioners approved the proposal.
Commissioners also approved amendments to the county’s flood ordinance that would allow homeowners in a flood plain to spend more money on home improvements to prevent substantial water damage.
The amended ordinance defines substantial damage as “damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the costs of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value (before the damage occurred) cumulatively over the life of the structure. The market value of the structure must exclude the value of the land.”
It also defined substantial improvements to include any improvement that the “cumulative cost of improvements over the life of the structure equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the ‘start of construction’ of the improvement.”
In other business, the commissioners:
• Heard a quarterly update from Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. President George Robertson. He said the local economy is still going strong, but that next year’s growth will be at a slower rate.
• Heard from Brad Bishop and Dave Anderson, who gave an AcceLINX status report.
• Approved rezoning a property on Anchorage Drive from Industrial II to Commercial. Nicole Lawrence plans to open a cosmetology school at the location.
• Approved a request from Jason Schwartz to rezone land on CR 200W, north of CR 300N, in Plain Township, from Agricultural to Agricultural II.
• Approved the rezoning of land sold by George Flowers, located near CR 1350N and Ind 13, from Agricultural to Commercial.
• Voted to approve the vacation of a right of way on the Old Wray Homestead subdivision near the south side of Chapman Lake.
The county commission will meet again at 9 a.m. Aug. 7.
