The Dallas County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Thursday.
At the meeting, the Board approved payroll change notices for the conservation and attorney’s offices. The Board then discussed a mobile home tax abatement. Treasurer Mitch Hambleton says he has been working with the property owner who is getting back on to her feet and making a “good faith effort” to pay back taxes. The Board approved a total of $1,522 in abatement as requested.
Next the Board discussed a habitual trespass issue in Adams Township. The property owner in question, Ralph Stanley Jr, was deemed a habitual trespasser by the Supervisors back in January after his cattle was often found grazing in the neighbor’s yard. The Township Trustees asked the Supervisors to instal a fence to prevent this issue from continuing in the future. This would involve the Board finding a contractor and building the fence and assessing the cost to the property owners, plus a five percent penalty. Some of the areas in question currently have a legal fence in place, while others do not. Ultimately, the Supervisors decided to readdress the issue at a the next meeting on Tuesday.
A public hearing in regards to the rezoning of Heritage Woods was then held. Paramount Land is requesting the change from agricultural to residential. The 126 acre portion of land is located south of Adel. Their goal is to build an estate development on the property with around 25 homes. Clete Schultz was the first resident to speak during the hearing. He asked who was going to enforce the proposed conservation easement that says building on certain proportions of the property is not allowed. Paramount representatives said it would b in the Home Owners Association and enforced by conservation if need be. Schultz and his wife Nancy both expressed concern with traffic in the area and how it could impact neighboring home owners in terms of property values. Paramount said the homes that will be build in the development will be “very custom upscale homes” that are on par with other houses nearby. Planning and Development Director Murray McConnell told the Board even without a zoning change, the property can currently be split into around 12 different lots. Questions were also asked about who would own the ponds in the area, which County Attorney Wayne Reisetter answered it depends on how the home owners split the land. The developers said it is their goal for them to maintain control of the water in the area so that they are maintained in the current state. In terms of traffic, McConnell said they typically figure 4.3 trips on the street per household and the width of the road is determined by how many lots there are in the area. The Board then decided to recess the public hearing. It will be reopened at a future meeting, perhaps on August 18th at the earliest, in order to allow the Planning and Zoning Commission, developers and a Board representative to further explore options and put agreements in writing.
The fifth pay application for the human resources campus renovation project was then approved in the amount of $259,098. Facilities Director Eric Rose said they are now at the cosmetic portion of the project and encouraged the Board to tour the building and take a look.