The Fayette County Commissioners recently received a petition to annex about 24-and-a-half acres of land from the county to the City of Washington Court House.
During the Feb. 22 meeting of the Fayette County Commissioners, the petition was discussed. The petition seeks to annex the 24.42 acres of Union Township land, where JD Equipment currently is located, into city territory. The petition included a legal description of the plot of land, a list of all locations surrounding the property and the parcel number of the land.
“The main reason we want to be annexed is to take advantage of the city services,” JD Equipment store manager Cody Kirkpatrick said recently. “The process, according to our attorney, will likely take 45 to 60 days. However, the final timing depends upon the action of the county commissioners.”
Commissioner Tony Anderson said that the process is essentially not up to them, as laws passed a few years ago from the state gives that power almost entirely to the land owner. The only other main stipulation is whether or not the land can be serviced by the government who controls it. In this case, the city is able to care for the services needed, the land owner wants to make the switch and the commissioners are on board as well.
“We like JD Equipment and are all behind them switching if that is what they want to do,” Anderson said recently. “Since the state legislation passed, this process can move a lot quicker. In the past, there have been issues around the state with this type of proceeding. Sometimes, either commissioners would sit on it or people would keep it from happening for next to no reason. The expedited annexation process allows the people who are involved to quickly make a decision and get things rolling.”
In other business, Brian Longberry was appointed to the RPHF Joint Solid Waste Management District Policy Committee to fill the unexpired position vacated by Paul Herring.
Finally, the commissioners held the public hearing to hear ideas as they apply for the 2016 Federal Funds, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Cities Program. In attendance was Jay Myers, community development director, Bob Kinzer, Jeffersonville Mayor, Bryan Riley, Timothy Mitchell, Godwin Apaliyah, economic development director and Dana Foor, administrative clerk. The county is eligible for approximately $75,000 of CDBG Formula funding providing that the county meets applicable program requirements. Myers asked those interested in participating in the application process to make their requests no later than April 15, at which time they will be evaluated and prioritized for a second public hearing prior to submission to the state.
