Planners Picked for Mills County
BY JOHN FERAK
Officials in Mills County, Iowa, on Tuesday named a planning and zoning commission, the first step toward regulating development in the fast-growing county.
By mid-fall, the commission is expected to come up with its list of recommendations for a zoning ordinance, said County Auditor Carol Robertson. Public hearings would be held in communities across the county before a zoning ordinance were approved.
"I would like to make sure the growth has some kind of plan," said Keith Johnson, a member of the new zoning panel and Mineola-area fire chief for Oak Township. "It's not to discourage development at all."
Mills County is the only county in southwest Iowa without zoning laws to govern land use. A subdivision ordinance requires developers to receive final plat approval from the Mills County Board, however.
For decades, the three-member County Board resisted adopting zoning laws. Area farmers and rural landowners said government-enacted zoning would infringe upon their rights.
These days, Mills County is changing from an agricultural economy into a growing bedroom community for Omaha and Council Bluffs. At more than 15,000 residents, Mills is one of Iowa's 10 fastest-growing counties.
This spring, 29 people applied to be on the newly created zoning commission. The County Board reviewed résumés and met with finalists before choosing the panel's members.
The commission members, in addition to Johnson, are: Ted Mintle, a general contractor in Glenwood; Lyle Mayberry, county magistrate and land surveyor; Doug Beckman, a farmer and Mills County Soil Board commissioner; Peter Franks of Alley Poyner Architecture of Omaha; William Thompson, a committee member for the Mills County tourism board and the Indian Creek Historical Society; and Clay Plumer, a farmer and trustee in Oak Township.
Officials in Mills County, Iowa, on Tuesday named a planning and zoning commission, the first step toward regulating development in the fast-growing county.
By mid-fall, the commission is expected to come up with its list of recommendations for a zoning ordinance, said County Auditor Carol Robertson. Public hearings would be held in communities across the county before a zoning ordinance were approved.
"I would like to make sure the growth has some kind of plan," said Keith Johnson, a member of the new zoning panel and Mineola-area fire chief for Oak Township. "It's not to discourage development at all."
Mills County is the only county in southwest Iowa without zoning laws to govern land use. A subdivision ordinance requires developers to receive final plat approval from the Mills County Board, however.
For decades, the three-member County Board resisted adopting zoning laws. Area farmers and rural landowners said government-enacted zoning would infringe upon their rights.
These days, Mills County is changing from an agricultural economy into a growing bedroom community for Omaha and Council Bluffs. At more than 15,000 residents, Mills is one of Iowa's 10 fastest-growing counties.
This spring, 29 people applied to be on the newly created zoning commission. The County Board reviewed résumés and met with finalists before choosing the panel's members.
The commission members, in addition to Johnson, are: Ted Mintle, a general contractor in Glenwood; Lyle Mayberry, county magistrate and land surveyor; Doug Beckman, a farmer and Mills County Soil Board commissioner; Peter Franks of Alley Poyner Architecture of Omaha; William Thompson, a committee member for the Mills County tourism board and the Indian Creek Historical Society; and Clay Plumer, a farmer and trustee in Oak Township.
posted by Susan VanSlyke at 8:41 PM
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