Planning consultant seeks direction on absent commission member

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – On Monday, Dec. 30, the Linn County Commissioners decided to check with planning board member Daniel Earnest to see why he had missed three meetings without calling in. The by-laws of the planning board specify that if a member of the planning board is absent three meetings without calling in that person could be replaced.

Darin Wilson, the planning and zoning consultant, brought this information to the commissioners to see if they wanted to take any action.

Commission Chair Danny McCullough asked Wilson if he had checked with Earnest about missing meetings. Wilson said that he had not.

McCullough asked the other commissioners if they wanted him to contact Earnest and let him know what was going on, figure out if he has an explanation and then move forward from there. Commissioners Jim Johnson and Jason Hightower said they were good with that.

Next, Wilson asked the commissioners if they had interviewed anybody for his past position of Planning and Zoning Director. McCullough said they had not.

Johnson said they had some applicants they were looking at. 

Wilson, who resigned on Nov. 1 to take another position in Garnett, had agreed to handle planning and zoning and code enforcement matters part-time until a new director was found and could be trained.

“Because I just wondered how much longer this was going to go on because I would like to be done,” said Wilson.

At the Dec. 23 commission meeting, Public Works Director Shaun West reminded the commissioners that there were three applicants to be interviewed for the planning position. He asked for the commissioners’ direction as to what they would like him to do as far as scheduling and whether the commissioners just wanted to interview the one applicant. 

At that time, the commissioners discussed whether they would have to interview all three because only one was a new applicant. Two others had applied and been interviewed for the economic development position.

Hightower said that he thought all three should be interviewed for the planning position.

West said he would set up the interviews.

Also at the Dec. 30 meeting, the commissioners approved a conditional use permit (CUP) presented by Wilson for a wholesale fireworks storage facility applied for by Fredrick Sandmeyer at 9187 Yankee Road in rural Pleasanton based on the findings of the planning and zoning board.

Wilson explained that, since this is not considered explosives, it falls under Article 16-404 in the Linn County Zoning Regulations. The regulations list out vendors and other parties with a quantity of fireworks greater than 1,000 pounds have a conditional use permit and only be valid from June 27 to July 5.

The board of zoning appeals approved a variance on the project so Sandmeyer could have it for year-round storage.

Wilson presented the conditions on the CUP which are:

• The permit will have to be renewed in three years.

• The location would be inspected every year by county staff.

• The facility would be in compliance with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and State Fire Marshall regulations.

• Fencing around property per state statutes on fencing.

• The owner will give a key to the entrance to the local fire department.