TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — After hours of public comment and statements made by all fives committee members, the sub-committee of the Terre Haute City Council that is in charge of planning, zoning, and improvements for the city, is recommending withdrawing ordinance number two.
Many committee members, including George Azar, brought up issues with the language used in the ordinance.
I do have issue with this ordinance as it is written”, Azar said. “Let’s face it, we were asked a question a few minutes ago and we couldn’t answer it. How can we pass an ordinance when we can’t even answer the questions.”
While others, like Kandace Hinton, brought the city budget into question.
“I am very concerned with the funding of it”, Hinton said. “You have to fund a historic preservation officer to do the work. Even if it’s just one person, somebody has to do the work. I know, for a fact, that the city doesn’t have the resources to fund it at this time.”
One member of the Farrington Grove Historic District Inc., Margaret Hurdlik, is in favor of the ordinance being passed. She said residents are falsely worried about losing their homeowner freedoms.
“This ordinance is simply asking you to take the small, but hugely important step, of enabling a commission to be set up”, Hurdlik said. “That’s all it does. It doesn’t designate historic districts or finalize all the rules.”
The committee is giving their recommendation for the current ordinance to be withdrawn, however, committee member Tammy Boland said this isn’t the end of preservation discussion.
“The recommendation will go before the full council for a vote”, Boland said. “At that point, we can start the revamp the ordinance. We’ll take into consideration of all the concerns of those who opposed it, we’ll take into consideration all the comments made by those who support it. Then we will move forward following state statute to say what can we present in an ordinance that will work for the city of Terre Haute.”
The committee’s recommendation will be brought to the Terre Haute City Council, where a final vote will be made to withdraw the ordinance. The planning, zoning, and improvements committee makes up five out of nine members of the city council.
