A citizens group has put together proposed regulations for confined animal feeding operations in Jackson County that might help officials deal with future requests.
That’s the assessment of commissioners President Jerry Hounshel, who would play a key role in putting those rules in place.
“They’ve actually come up with a pretty good plan,” Hounshel said of the group’s work. The committee includes people for and against confined animal feeding operations.
The proposed regulations would require confined feeding operations to be placed at least a mile from the county’s four municipalities and its unincorporated towns.
Other proposed regulations include requiring the planting of trees and shrubs as a buffer around confined feeding operations, biofilters and a site plan prepared by a licensed architect or engineer.
Applicants also must have approval from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management before applying for a special exception and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources if the proposed project is located in a flood plain.
Hounshel said some members of the community approached commissioners earlier this year and offered their help when a proposed ordinance regulating confined feeding livestock operations failed to gain traction.
Commissioners had introduced that ordinance last fall as a response to some requests for confined animal feeding operations.
Hounshel said commissioners liked the idea of working with a citizens group willing to become involved with their local government.
He said the committee includes Paul Pottschmidt, a hog producer, Chips Everhart, Sherry Bridges and Joe Bradley.
Bradley attended Wednesday’s meeting and briefly discussed one of three areas of contention committee members had about the proposal. That area involves requirements concerning the use of biofilters, which are put in place for odor control.
Hounshel said a second area at issue involves setback requirements, and the third involves the process of who can approve the ordinance.
County attorney Susan Bevers said some people had wanted to give the plan commission that responsibility. But that was not legal, she said, because the commissioners are the governing body.
Hounshel said the present county ordinance governing livestock feeding operations was put in place in 1968.
“At that time, we didn’t have large confined feeding animal operations,” he said.
Hounshel said commissioners will send the ordinance on to the county plan commission for a public hearing.
“I will allow people to talk at our meeting but put a time limit on it,” he said.
Commissioners would have forwarded the ordinance to the plan commission, but Commissioner Matt Reedy was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. Hounshel said he thought all three commissioners needed to be present when the ordinance was passed on first reading.
Commissioner Tom Joray said it was his opinion that the plan commission should obtain input about the ordinance first.
“I think they should be tweaking it a lot,” he said.
Joray is a member of the nine-member plan commission. He also sat on the committee that revised the original proposed ordinance.
Once the plan commission comes up with some regulations, the measure will go back to commissioners for final approval.