Fulton County Board Committee Minutes
Fulton County Board Office, 257 West Lincoln Street, Lewistown, IL 61542
Committee: Community Development
Meeting Place: 257 W Lincoln, Lewistown, IL
Time 5:00 p.m.
Date: Sept. 6, 2022
Call in:
Call in information: 1-425-436-6307
Access code: 835427
1. Call to Order
Time: 5:00pm
Members:
Steve Bohler (present/xxxxxx)
Vicki Hoke (present/xxxxxx) attended by phone
Donna Hudson (present/xxxxxx)
Dan Kumer (present/xxxxxx)
BJ McCullum (present/xxxxxx)
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS: Roger Clark
ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS: Janice Emmons – Planning and Zoning Director – by phone
STAFF: Cindy Simpson – Fulton County Board Administrative Assistant
Guests: Mary Hampton, April Tatham
2. Roll Call
Roll call was taken, quorum was present
3. Call for Additions/Deletions to and Approval of the Agenda
Member Bohler pulled from the agenda under 8 New Business b. Stone Bridge Subdivision.
Member McCullum moved to approve the amended agenda with a second from Member Kumer. Motion carried by roll call vote (5-0).
4. Approval of Previous Minutes – August 2, 2022
Member McCullum moved to approve the minutes from August 2, 2022 with a second from Member Bohler. Motion carried by roll call vote (5-0).
5. Announcements, Communications and Correspondence – None
6. Public Comments
Name: April Tatham
Address: Avon, IL
Topic: Co2 Pipeline
April Tatham started by showing a video of a controlled Co2 rupture on an 8-inch pipeline. This was done to allow the company to do a study of the controlled rupture. The video shown used dry ice to show the spread of the Co2 gas and how far the gas can travel undetected. The pipeline companies are considering adding an odorant to detect leaks. The Co2 gas is not visible and has no odor. April asked that the Zoning department consider zoning ordinance for pipelines. April stated the Fulton County Board has adopted an ordinance for Solar and Wind Farms in Fulton County. The US Department of Pipeline Agency acknowledged the current safety regulations in place, including those around Co2 pipelines, are insufficient. It takes the US Department of Pipeline Agency years to make a decision and implement procedures. In the interim, these pipelines are coming though Fulton County and there is nothing in place to protect the citizens. April asked that the board consider a 6-month moratorium on pipelines to give the county time to fully evaluate the impact of the Co2 pipelines. The coalition has worked with Paul Blackburn who is an attorney in pipeline safety from Bold Alliance. Paul has determined counties can regulate setbacks, and damage to farm land and roads. The Illinois constitution gives Illinois more power to regulate this than neighboring states. The alignment map the coalition has been using shows the Co2 pipeline would be fewer than 500 feet from homes, which is not adequate to protect residents of Fulton County. April stated the research
is showing the gas can travel 1 to 2 miles after a leak is detected. There have been over 66 leaks in Co2 pipelines since 2010.
Sangamon County has adopted a moratorium and three different states have also enacted moratoriums. April would like to ask the Fulton County Board to intervene in the ICC process. This can be accomplished by joining the No Illinois Co2 Pipeline Organization or the county can intervene in opposition on their own by moratorium. The first goal is to stop the construction of the pipeline and protect all citizens that surround the pipeline. April discussed there are currently two additional pipelines that are being researched to come through Illinois. One pipeline is going to Peoria, IL to ADM and the second is in the proposal state of Illinois. This concerns more than the residents in Northwest Fulton County.
7. Claims/Financial Report
Member Hudson moved to approve the claims with a second from Member Kumer. Motion carried by roll call vote (5-0).
8. Zoning Office Report
ACTIVITY FOR AUGUST
Janice Emmons Zoning Officer, reported for the month of August the Zoning Office collected $6,039.10 in revenue. Twenty-three construction applications were received and twenty-two inspections, and two final inspections completed. There were approximately 160 consultations for zoning matters. There were thirty consultations concerning plats/plat affidavit and five affidavits recorded. The Stone Bridge Subdivision and Hampton Subdivision plat will likely be coming before the Board in September.
COMPLAINTS
There have been several local boundary line complaints about fences. Complainants were directed to contact a surveyor about resolving the issue. A complaint about a dirt track near Table Grove was received and upon investigation, this appears to be private and not public.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
There were no public hearings this month.
OTHER
A meeting was held with Buckheart Solar at Harvester Inn on August 30, 2022. A significant portion of the Solar Farm is proposed to be in East Liverpool and West Liverpool Drainage District. Discussion focused on developing a proposal to submit to FEMA about reclassification of The Special Flood Hazard Area from AE to X. AE requires meticulous adherence to Flood Pain Ordinance Restrictions and reclassification to X removes those requirements. The Region 5 Flood Plain Manager Marilyn Succoe, will be involved as adhering to FEMA guidelines is necessary for Fulton County to avoid becoming ineligible for Flood Insurance, Federal Funds, and Disaster Funds. This was the first of multiple meetings on the Buckheart Solar project.
9. New Business
a. Discussion/Action: Hampton Subdivision – Carey Putman
Member Bohler asked Mary Hampton to discuss the Subdivision. Mary discussed the subdivision is East of Lewistown. The subdivision is 14 acres and wants to subdivide 2.3 acres that has been surveyed.
Member Bohler stated the plat is completed and looks good.
Member Kumer moved to approve the Hampton Subdivision with a second from Member McCullum. Motion carried by roll call vote (5-0).
b. Discussion/Action: Stone Bridge Subdivision-LuAnn Grigsby Pulled
10. Old Business
a. Discussion/Action: Employment Agreement/Zoning Director
Member Bohler discussed wants to hold the employment agreement over until October to see what the non-union raise may be before taking this to the Fulton County Board for a vote.
11. Executive Session- None
12. Misc. – None
13. Adjournment
Time: 5:18pm
Member McCullum moved to adjourn at 5:18pm with a second from Member Kumer. Motion carried by roll call vote (5-0).
Minutes Community Development September 6 2022
