Ordinance may shift power to city officials

In a meeting postponed from last week, the Bloomington City Council heard new proposed amendments to the city's zoning ordinance that would give more enforcement powers to city officers to deal with environmental problems.\nThe council gave preliminary approval to the amendments in a 6-0-3 vote, with council members Jason Banach, Andy Ruff and Jeffrey Willsey choosing to pass until the vote comes before the council next Wednesday for a final vote.\nThe new amendments would require a site plan to be received and approved by the Bloomington Plan Commission before issuing grading permits. It would give city enforcement officers the authorization to ticket those not abiding by current tree preservation requirements, and it would create a minimum 25-foot zone around karst terrain. Karst terrain is irregular limestone region with underground streams and sinks.\nCity Plan Director Tom Micuda cited the Cantebury Apartments property as an example of how the new plan for grading and zoning would work.\n"We would review grading permits, we would apply all the environmental standards in our ordinance that apply to the request, but it would not be specifically required to have a public review if they met all those standards and they wanted to clear vegetation," he said, referring to the current method of obtaining a permit. \nThe new plan would call for a public process, Micuda said.\n"We want to make sure that it is very clearly understood by a developer that they need a public review process, and after that they can execute the approval that they get."\nWillsey was cautious about granting ticketing powers. \n"I'm a little concerned about the nature of authority that we're granting," he said. "Just as I think it's very important we have a hearing on permits, so that we get public input, I think it's very important at this stage, that we make sure we're having a complete hearing on the authority that we're creating."\nIn other action, the council gave preliminary support to a $10 increase in fees for towing vehicles that have been abandoned and removing vehicles from accident scenes.\nCurrent city ordinance limits the removal of a vehicle to $45 in the day and $55 at night along with a maximum daily storage fee of $8.50 for non-wrecked vehicles. With the expected approval of the amendment next week, those fees will increase to $55 for daytime removal of vehicles and $65 for evening removal. \nThe maximum storage fee will rise to $10 for non-wrecked vehicles and $15 for wrecked automobiles. Several representatives from local towing services, citing increased fuel and labor costs as needs for the fee increase, showed strong support for the ordinance. \n"If we can get (the council) to approve this, it'll help us out just a little bit," said Gary Koontz of Koontz Towing. "We're going to keep towing abandoned cars until they stop making cars, but this raise will help us out with that just a little."\nBoth ordinance amendments have a final vote next Wednesday.\nFor the second straight week, the council postponed final action on a proposed sidewalk ordinance that would require a straight, clear path no less than 54 inches wide in front of local businesses. Amendments are being added to the ordinance, which can be viewed at City Hall, 401 N. Morton St.