Re-alignment and transfer of zoning-related activities and processes to the St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission from the Building Department

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RE-ALIGNMENT AND TRANSFER OF ZONING-RELATED ACTIVITIES AND PROCESSES TO THE ST. JOSEPH COUNTY AREA PLAN COMMISSION FROM THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT 2. The hiring of a FTE will increase personnel costs.The skill requirements of this position is different that the skill level of the one PTE noted in the ABZA discussion. Whether existing personnel could be re-organized to cover zoning administration duties is still being studied. 3. Capital costs: workstation, desk, chair, office panels,vehicle Other Considerations South Bend has had some brief discussions with Staff on them withdrawing their membership from the Area Plan Commission. If the City chooses to proceed, it most likely will not happen until 2019 or 2020, or after the adoption of a new zoning ordinance,whichever occurs first.The administrative burden of a City plan commission, City Board of Zoning Appeal, and Zoning Interpretation for the City will transfer to City staff, relieving the APC staff from those responsibilities. Fewer petitions would result in less staff time needed to administer the zoning and subdivision process, but it would also reduce income. On the other hand, it is possible that staff will have more time available to perform zoning enforcement. As indicated,zoning enforcement is a concern for the staff. Without a FTE, enforcement would VERY LIMITED, if non-existent. Code Enforcement,as envisioned by the Council, is not possible with the scenarios discussed here. Code is a specific task that requires specialized skills and a distinct process. Additional Information Status of Zoning Ordinances: Staff has been diligently pursuing modernization of the seven zoning ordinances it oversees:New Carlisle-January 2010; Osceola—January 2015; Lakeville—projected July 2017;North Liberty—projected November 2017. The South Bend ordinance will be updated,potentially next year,via a City contract. Staff will begin working on the County ordinance in 2018/19. The County subdivision ordinance is currently being re-drafted,and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.The subdivision ordinances of the other jurisdictions will reviewed for potential replacement in 2019. Comprehensive Plans: Due to staff reductions over the past decade,the Comprehensive Plan (April 2002)and targeted,neighborhood-oriented land use plans have not been done.The age of the Comprehensive Plan is a concern, especially with the new focus on economic development in the County. Code Enforcement: Staff would encourage that if the County desires to implement a strong code enforcement effort,then a fair and equitable contract with the City of South Bend be pursued.APC does not available staff or expertise to perform that function. Page 617