Starke County Planning Commission to Consider Fee Schedule Revisions

  
 
The Starke County Planning Commission will be holding two public hearings on May 15 at 6:30 p.m., including one public hearing to consider a revision to the Starke County Fee Schedule in accordance with Indiana Code.

According to Commission Clerk-Secretary Pamla Starkey, the Planning Commission will discuss a revision to the fee schedule to add a demolition permit, do away with roofing permits, and add a permit for electrical inspections that are required after electric service at a building has been turned off for at least 90 days. Starkey explained that the commission has reviewed the fees on an annual basis, but no changes have been made to the schedule ordinance in a number of years.

Currently, when the county building inspector is called to inspect a building that a person is interested in buying, and the electric service in the building has been deactivated for at least 90 days, the inspector travels to the building and conducts a thorough inspection. However, since there is currently no permit in place for this task, the inspector gets nothing, and the county receives no reimbursement for his time, gas, or other expenses.

On top of that, Starkey explained the Planning Commission is interested in establishing a demolition permit because a number of houses and structures around the county need to be torn down, and the county needs to keep track of where the building materials are going and other required information as well.

The Planning Commission will begin their meeting on May 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the county government building located at 53 E. Mound St. in Knox.