FORTVILLE — Leaders in Fortville appointed members to the town’s new division of the Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals.
The appointments marked the next step in Fortville’s continuing plans to take over its own planning and zoning efforts from Hancock County.
State law requires the town council president to appoint three members to the division, one of whom must be a Hancock County Plan Commission member. The town council gets two appointments. Town council president Michael Frischkorn appointed Justin Crawford, Bob Hiday and Lacey Willard, a county plan commission member and Fortville resident. Council members appointed Deborah Green unanimously and Earl Bolander 3-1, with councilman Tim Hexamer opposing.
Hexamer said the council received about seven applications for the positions and that he felt there were some that were better than Bolander’s. He said Green had one of the better applications, adding she’s lived in Fortville for a long time and has been involved in the town often in the past.
Green has lived in Fortville for more than 40 years and owns and operates a licensed family childcare business in town. She said she was interested in applying for the board because she felt her common-sense approach and regard for facts would benefit local zoning decisions.
“If I don’t know about something, I make sure I find out and do the research,” she said. “You have to find out what the truth is.”
Green has had experience with zoning appeals matters in the past. She received a special exception from the county’s appeals board in order to be able to run her business.
“I know how intimidating it can be for people, so I think I can be a listening, kind ear,” she said.
The Fortville division of the county board of zoning appeals will operate through the end of the year and will apply the county’s zoning ordinance. In January 2020, Fortville will replace the division with the town’s own appeals board. At that time the town will also establish its own advisory plan commission along with a town zoning ordinance, subdivision control ordinance and stormwater ordinance.
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Fortville division of the Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals
- Earl Bolander
- Justin Crawford
- Deborah Green
- Bob Hiday
- Lacey Willard
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