DAKOTA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION: November 18, 2008
PUBLIC HEARING
Public Hearing was called to order at 7:05 P.M. regarding Towing and Wrecker Service Regulations.
The Planning and Zoning Board presented a set of regulations to the public for comment.
Joe O’Neill opened up the floor for public comment
Sally Reinert from Dakota City stated that she felt the regulations were too vague to be acceptable. It talks about storing vehicles but no time frame on how long they can stay there. It talks about trees and shrubs, walls and fences, but gives no indication of what the business is and isn’t allowed to do behind the bushes. At one point towing is mentioned together with salvage, junk yard and wrecking yard. These other businesses are relegated to areas zoned as heavy manufacturing. You have given no indication as to the zoning district where towing services will be allowed.
The Planning and Zoning board addressed a few of Sally’s concerns. The time limit on keeping the vehicle depends on the value of the car. The county follows the state guidelines on such issues. Mrs. Reinert stated that she would like to see that added to the regulations. Joe O’Neill stated that the towing, salvage, and junkyard are being lumped in is pertaining to everyone of those different applications need to have a conditional use permit. We are not saying towing can be salvage. That is why there are definitions for towing and wrecker. They would have a separate permit for those applications. Sally Reinert asked if the regulations could make that more clear.
Tom Bousquet said that it would be nice to have a true definition of a towing service. Towing a car to a certain location for storage and maybe a time frame and if the vehicle should be stored inside or outside and whether or not it needed to be licensed or not.
Jim Bliven wanted to know if anyone would be checking on if the regulations were being followed.
Jim Jepsen said that if we adopt the towing wrecker service, you would still need to get a conditional use permit. In the conditional use permit is were you can write in all the regulations.
Sharon Orr Hoffman would like her area to remain agricultural. She is also concerned about the environmental impact to the area
Chuck Beermann is concerned about the wording and enforcement of the regulations. He wants to make sure the wording for a towing service doesn’t open up a door for a salvage yard.
Dick Leitschuck with Keep Northeast Nebraska Beautiful stated that his board feels that recycling and reusing of parts and disabled vehicles is a prudent activity and can be done according to Dakota County Planning and Zoning ordinances only in heavy manufacturing zoning. Keep Nebraska beautiful would not like to see junk vehicles in Nebraska’s landscape. They have written a letter to the planning and zoning board and is as follows:
(Click to see larger version)
Willis Buell is concerned that adopting these regulations would open the door to a junkyard anywhere in the county. An original draft had some rules that he wished were not taken out and should be put back in. Some of these rules applied to weeds, time limits and records and licenses for the business.
Helen Orr read a letter to the board and is as follows:
(Click to see larger versions)
Chairman O’Neill opened up the floor for comments that were in favor of the towing regulations.
Pam Banta spoke in favor of the regulations.
Curtis Arndt spoke of all the improvements he has done to the property. He bought a machine to pump the refrigerant out of the vehicles so the salvage yards would take them. He has put up trees and kept the weeds down. He is in the process of cleaning out his building so he can put the stuff in it he wants to keep and get rid of the rest to help clean up the property. He planted 200 trees this last summer.
Chairman O’Neill closed the floor and opened up comments from the board. Marlan Millard spoke of the time limits that a car can stay in the towing yard. He said that sometimes it depends on whether a car has been involved in an accident or crime. In these cases the cars have to stay put until the investigation in done. With that being said, it makes it hard to put a time limit on how long a car can sit at a towing yard.
Curtis Arndt stated that he has a van sitting at his property at the current time that is being held for an insurance company.
Jim Jepsen explained that if the towing regulations are passed, it does not mean that a bunch of towing services will go up in the county. The individual would still have to apply for a conditional use permit and it would go before the Planning and Zoning Board and then Board of Commissioners would vote on it.
Joe O’Neill asked Mr. Arndt if the state regulated the licensing and insurance and Mr. Arndt said it did.
After some more discussion Joe O’Neill closed the public hearing.