Sep 21, 2005 By Amy Karpinsky 3 min read

The Fayette County Commissioners took action Tuesday to move forward with adoption of the fee schedule for the new countywide zoning, subdivision and land development ordinance but stopped short of pressing ahead with adoption of the text. The commissioners voted to place a motion on Thursday’s agenda to approve the fee schedule. Tammy Shell, director of the Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development, said the fee schedule can be used with the current ordinance until the new ordinance is adopted. The current ordinance has been in effect since 1968.

The increased fee schedule includes costs for hearings before the zoning hearing board. The application fees are $700 for business and industrial uses and $450 for residential, conservation and agricultural uses, with a cost of $550 for appeals. Shell said the current fees are $300 for residential, conservation and agricultural uses and $600 for business and industrial uses.

Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites asked Shell if the new fees will be enough so that the taxpayers are not subsidizing the costs of the hearings, as is the case now. Vicites said he wants it to be a user fee system.

Shell said she believes the increase in fees should keep that from happening in the future.

Commission chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink suggested to Shell that when she submits the fee schedule to the commissioners she should also include the new fees that will be added once the ordinance text is adopted instead of doing it later.

Although a motion to consider approving the text of the ordinance was on the agenda for approval, the commissioners took no action on that item.

Instead, a discussion was held regarding how payment will be made for finalization of the text. The consultant that will complete the text has been working without a contract since the one expired in August 2004. The estimated cost to finalize the text is $4,500.

Zimmerlink suggested paying the consultant in 2006 so the money could be budgeted and Vicites suggested using money from the unappropriated line item, of which he estimated there is $20,000 available.

Shell said she would check with the consultant to see if payment can be made next year and county manager Warren Hughes said he would check regarding how much money is available in the unappropriated line item.

Saying he is concerned about moving the adoption of the ordinance forward, Vicites made a motion to place on Thursday’s agenda approval to authorize the consultant to finish the text of the ordinance provided that funds can be identified.

Work on the ordinance began nearly three years ago. The new ordinance will have many more permitted uses than the current ordinance and will eliminate the need for some of the zoning hearings that must now occur. A total of 32 out of the county’s 42 municipalities will utilize the ordinance. The other 10 handle their own planning and zoning.

In other action, the commissioners voted to place on Thursday’s agenda a motion to hire Greg Robertson as the Fayette County Veterans Affairs director, effective Sept. 12. Robertson will make $13.75 per hour, for a salary of $26,812.50. He will replace Frank Staszko, who resigned last month.

In a related matter, the commissioners voted to place a motion on Thursday’s agenda to approve the separation of Harland Headlee as interim veterans affairs director, effective Sept. 16.