29 August 2022 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting Notes

 29 August 2022 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting Notes

Present: Dennis Kraus, Jr., Chairman, Mark Lehman, Joe Vogel, Jake Hoog, Dan Lansing, Jim Thatcher, and Eric Lang

ABSENT: Jeff Hermesch and Russell Beiersdorfer

 29 August 2022 Dearborn County Plan Commission Meeting NotesAlso Present:  Nicole Daily, Zoning Administrator, and Andy Baudendistel, Attorney.

Baudendistel read the Title VI statement as legally required.

6 citizens were in attendance

ACTION ON MINUTES- Minutes from May 24, 2021, March 28, 2022, and April 25, 2022 were approved.

OLD BUSINESS: none

NEW BUSINESS: none

ADMINISTRATIVE: Nicole Daily - presented saying that with Mark McCormack resigning that she hadn’t had time to get the text and definitions and do that at the next meeting. 

She said that in the Ag district - 2 family attached and it’s listed as 2 family dwelling unit and they had no attached with it- she changed that to match that in the conditional uses. She asked the board if they had any other changed they needed to have changed. 

In Ag Homestead- conditional uses she also fixed etc 2-family attached was fixed also

In R-1- In permitted used- Barns, pole buildings and other types of outbuildings need to be added ti the R-1 district.

In R-2- and R-3 she had a few things - definitions - 2 family attached, and townhouses etc. In R-2 the have single family attached is in conditional use. Landominiums, condominiums, etc need to get organized.

All residential zones require water and sewer in the text for R-1,2, and 3. 

Churches are conditional uses in the residential zones. 

Do we want to keep to the developmental standards next and then on to the maps which she wants to work on township by township. 

Board decided that they will do the development standards and have 2 townships to look at for maps if they have time to do those after the development standards. 

The maps are being drawn with actual property lines in GIS and the board will discuss those  before having the public comment on them. The idea is that it will make things clearer for the public to know what is happening in their area.

No public wanted to talk on this.

Dennis Kraus, Jr. talked about Mark McCormack leaving for a job in another state. They have Nicole Daily covering things now. They discussed posting the position for at least 7 days. They will have to get the PAC committee to give them the go-ahead to fill it. Thatcher said that all the PAC needs is to know from the board that they intend to fill the Planning director position. Board approved filling the Plan Director position. Kraus, Jr. said that they have an in- house applicant for this position. Nicole Daily has been there almost 11 years.

Baudendistel said the county encourages promoting internally if possible. 

Kraus said they will post it for 7 days. They can hold a meeting after 7 days and review the applications. They will post a notice of the meeting on Sept 13th at 7 PM to review the applications.They will call an executive session if there are several applications that they have to interview and review. 

 Meeting adjourned at 7:45PM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

Dearborn County Planning and Zoning Director, Mark McCormack, Leaves for a New Job Closer to Home

 Planning Director, Mark McCormack, gave notice about 2 weeks ago that he was leaving the county and accepting a new job closer to home. He will be the Development Director of Union Township in Clermont County. His last day of work at the Planning Office is officially Tuesday August 23rd. 

McCormack feels like the county is a much better place than when he started and  hopes things continue to get / trend better. He thinks it will as long as people work together and think about making decisions for the betterment of the whole community.

We congratulate Mark on his new position and wish him the best at his new job! 

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

16 AUGUST 2022 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

 16 AUGUST 2022 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Art Little, and Rick Probst

Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor, Andy Baudendistel, Attorney, and Sue Hayden, Administrator

TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.

OLD BUSINESS

Hospital Remainder Fund Update- Baudendistel has the ordinance with a more specific purpose in it. The money goes into this fund or it can also go into the general fund. Blue and Co is working on the estimate that is needed to pay out over the future to cover the old hospital bills etc. to go into the remainder fund. The other amount will stay in general fund. The Council decides what money goes where once they get the estimate from Blue and Company. Commissioners approved the Ordinance modifying the County Remained Fund 

NEW BUSINESS

Indiana Broadband Ready Community Resolution - One Dearborn- Mike Perleberg and Reniesha Rudder ( from SIRPC) - who is with the Broadband ready program They are engaging with communities in the state . There are funding opportunities with funding for 2023 onward, The resolution is ready to be signed and Gage Pace passed it out. They will submit an application for the county after this. There is no guaranteed money or assurance that more providers will be here- but it does help show that there are barriers removed to getting investment in broadband here. If they can make the internet more affordable for residents and neighborhoods that sign up. This is part of the Lt Gov program. The state can bid out. Ernie Holger is the contact she (Renita) knows about.  

Probst wants to know the geography of the task force. Mike and Gage at one Dearborn, and several other volunteers at library etc. Task Force will submit the application. They want to get all the municipalities and county to be ready to submit by the end of September. They include Ohio County in this. Greendale is bringing in Alta Fiber for example. There is a 5 year plan to get funding. As data comes in- capacity needed will become known. Capacity grants are different from competitive grants. 

Probst asked - Is there a map that shows this in the county. FCC has coverage maps. Farm Bureau has internet speed maps. 

Commissioners signed the Resolution stating they were seeking to be designated as a broadband ready community. 

Sheriff’s Sale Program Ordinance- This is a non-reverting fund. - SRI does a good job on these sales. Passed the ordinance and Commissioners signed. 

ADMINISTRATOR – Sue Hayden- Todd Listerman asked her to present the title sheet for Bridge 29 Old North Hogan Rd.  - Commissioners signed. 

AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold  -Claims/Payroll and August 2nd Minutes approved. 

ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel- nothing more

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Probst- Covid still here

Little Watch for kids.

Thatcher- vendors cannot believe we are debt free- Council passed a Balanced budget last week. 

LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION- none

PUBLIC COMMENT- none

ADJOURN- 5:35 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

AGENDA- August 16th Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting

 AGENDA

DEARBORN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING

August 16, 2022 

5:00 p.m. Henry Dearborn Room

Dearborn County Government Center

165 Mary Street, Lawrenceburg, Indiana

I. CALL TO ORDER

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III. TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE

IV. OLD BUSINESS

1. Hospital Remainder Fund Update

V. NEW BUSINESS

1.  Indiana Broadband Ready Community Resolution – One Dearborn

2.  Sheriff’s Sale Program Ordinance

VI. ADMINISTRATOR – Sue Hayden

VII. AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold

1.  Claims/Payroll/Minutes

VIII. ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel

IX. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS

X. LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION

XI. PUBLIC COMMENT

XII. ADJOURN

What Happened to Summer Vacation?

What Happened to Summer Vacation?

by Mark Franke

republished with permission from IPR- Indiana Policy Review

Most of the public and parochial schools in my area started back up this week. So what, one might ask, until one looks at the calendar and realizes it is the second week of August. What happened to summer vacation?

No one of my acquaintance thinks this is a good idea, a handful of totally exasperated parents excluded. It isn’t just we geezers who think summer runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There is something yin-and-yangish about having these holiday bookends on either end of the best time of year for school children.

I admit to being cloyingly nostalgic at times, but summers were essential to our maturation process. Despite what the professional educators may have thought, our educational development advanced apace during these three months. We had all day to figure out how to spend our time in mostly safe and creative ways. Whatever structure defined the day, we determined it ourselves. Our mothers’ calling us to come home for lunch was the only adult supervision we needed.

There were a few adult-organized activities such as youth baseball and vacation Bible school, but these were the exceptions. Now, it seems kids’ entire days and weeks are subsumed with specialty summer camps, 12-month travel sports teams and other expensive activities under close adult supervision. Kids aren’t kids anymore, just harried little adults.

Then there was the summer family vacation ritual. Load up us kids into the sedan or station wagon and head off along a route carefully planned by our parents. We didn’t have video players or iPads to entertain us. We would count dairy cows on our side of the car in cutthroat competition with our siblings on the other side. When stopped at a railroad crossing, we counted boxcars. Maybe that’s why our generation’s math skills are superior to those of each succeeding generation, or so we tell ourselves.

Yes, it was a different time. Moms for the most part didn’t work outside the home so we actually had more adult supervision than we cared to admit. Whoever’s yard we were playing in, their mom was the boss. I feel sorry for today’s kids who can’t run next door to play with the neighbor kids without their parents (or single parent) worried for their safety.

There is something to be said for unstructured, non-programmed play. children can’t be creative anymore. It boggles the mind what we could pretend to be given whatever sticks, rocks and our dad[s garden tools were to hand. Imagination is a wonderful, liberating thing; I fear we are robbing our children and grandchildren from developing theirs.

So where did we go wrong? It is easy to cast blame on politicians, teacher unions, school boards and any of the other usual bands of suspects. As much as I would like to do that, the real culprit is air conditioning.

During my childhood in the idyllic 1950s, air conditioning was something we heard about but hardly ever experienced. Our automobiles, homes and, yes, our schools operated quite effectively without and we survived. That’s what basements were for; we headed down there when the temperatures got too high.

My family was fortunate to live on a wooded street with plenty of shade. Later we moved into the country, the term we used for the agricultural areas of the county. There was always plenty of breeze to enjoy and, of course, a lot of shade trees near the house. If you were never in air conditioning, you didn’t feel overheated when you left it.

Air conditioning has a lot to answer for. Not only has it stolen nearly a month from kids’ summer, it also allows Congress and all those Washington agencies to function all year long. The cynic in me is convinced that has not made things better for our nation.

In addition to being a cynic, I also plead guilty to being a hypocrite. I am writing this in an air-conditioned lounge, having driven here in my air-conditioned truck. When I finish, I will drive back to my air-conditioned home. Yes, I’m spoiled now so I need to find something else to blame. And I did.

The real culprit is the Anglo-Saxon calendar that was followed by our cultural forebears in the early Middle Ages. Their summer ran from approximately May 7 to Aug. 7 when the harvest began. The summer solstice, June 21 or thereabouts, was the middle of summer and is still celebrated as the Midsummer festival across northern Europe.

So the next time I hear people complain about school starting in early August, I will tell them we are just being faithful to our Anglo-Saxon cultural heritage. They can blame Beowulf or Alfred the Great or King Arthur and the knights of his roundtable.

But I still don’t like it.

Mark Franke, M.B.A., an adjunct scholar of the Indiana Policy Review and its book reviewer, is formerly an associate vice-chancellor at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

2 AUGUST 2022 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

 2 AUGUST 2022 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Art Little, and Rick Probst

Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor, Andy Baudendistel, Attorney, and Jennifer Scully, Adm Assistant in Sue Hayden’s absence

ABSENT: Sue Hayden, Administrator

TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.

OLD BUSINESS: none

NEW BUSINESS:

2022 Jack’s Forever 3 Still Running 5K Run/Walk- Brooke Carpenter, Family Member- already checked with sheriff dept for road closure- Approved - Sat Sept 10th - 8:45 road closure 

Dr Steve Eiason, Health Officer: 

Updates- mobile evening wed nite max clinic from 5-7:30 PM out in front of the building here. Posted on website and email info to the papers. Covid vax plus their regular ones. 

MOU- Memorandum of Understanding-  between Health Dept and Commissioners- John Blackwell- from health dept- it’s from Indiana code- the commissioners agree to allow use of their facilities and equipment. These are required by EMS Fire Dept and the schools in Ind. It’s for their use in the building here. Approved.

BA5 Potential Impact on Dearborn County- increased from 40-130  casesper week with zero deaths so far. This is not an accurate reflection of cases - as many are home testing. Barometer is really how many are swing up at hospital. Hoxworth going back to full masking anther blood drives now- per Rick Probst. Becoming less of a health issue now per Eliason. There is supposed to be a new vaccine in next 3-4 months. It’s supposed to be a better vaccine for the current virus. Masking probably not required yet unless a more virulent form shows up. 

Information on MonkeyPox Impact to Dearborn County- no cases here yet- a few in Cincinnati. No vax here yet. No one asking for it yet at health dept. Worldwide-a handful of deaths. Probably going to be considered like an STD thing. Most in gay men. Very few have had hospital care. NYCity has an emergency with it per Thatcher. Eliason says not here. Thinking about changing the name of monkeypox- are we offending someone? - monkeys? Little quipped- chickenpox- are we offending chickens?Laughter 

Signature for COVID Clinic- per month $1,000- for next 6 months at the shopping center on Wilson Creek and US 50.- decided to keep this open a couple hours in morning per day as schools use it. They can increase hours. Approved. 

Eliason said he does not discard the use of masks for individuals- that’s an individual decision. They are needed in some cases etc. Just not wanting to do a mandate unless really necessary. 

2022 Line Striping Award- Todd Listerman- County Engineer- recovering from surgery on his eye Friday night  The Lowest  bid was by A and A Safety out of Amelia OH for $99,066.40 this is for roads with $1,000 vehicles or more. - approved. This is 8 cents a linear ft. It was 6 cents a ft last year. Approved. State will be having 6 in lines instead of 4 in lines on interstates and highways to help as the population ages with visibility. 

Lower Dillsboro Rd Slide Correction- Title Sheet- need the signature on this with the official set of plans to submit to INDOT. Approved. There are other slides there and Tim Grieve is trying to get Council money for those.

Last meeting Listerman did award letter for small structures and he needs form 96 signed for that contract for  small structures 111 and 112 - approved.

Listerman going to Council on the 8th for Weisberg Rd in the area where old tavern was torn down. He’s seeking funds to fix that culvert. 

ADMINISTRATOR – Jennifer Scully for Sue Hayden- nothing. 

AUDITOR – Connie Fromhold  -Claims/Payroll and July 19th Minutes- approved. 

ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel- Right of Entry Agreement small structures on Lower Dillsboro Rd 211 and 213 which is not temporary. The one for 213 is approved with Gayle Fantetti. 211 is an estate and they are still working on that. Baudendistel is recording it. 

Baudendistel is doing an MS4 webinar from 2-3:30 today and shared with other officials. 

Hospital Transaction Fund Update- this is for potential fund to receive that money from etc. hospital and he’s modifying the purpose pf that fund to meet state requirements. He will present that next meeting. Fromhold is monitoring that to pay all the bills and it will roll back into county general after the hospital business is finished. None of the property has transferred yet. There is a condo survey out on the CMHC property. Pension plan is being paid by an annuity now. Much discussion about the property being St Elizabeth’s and the county does NOT want to own the hospital. 

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS- Probst-school open- busses tomorrow- watch out for the kids. 

Little- reiterated Probst- and the mental health clinic will still be out there at the hospital. Keep people in KY in the flooding.City of Lawbg and 4 speed doing a collection for the KY flood victims.

Thatcher- local food banks- need more help now. Food banks put Friday backpacks up for the weekends for children in need per Listerman. Food and money donations.

LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION- none

PUBLIC COMMENT- none

ADJOURN- 9:55 AM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township