This month, Marshall County Plan Director, Ty Adley presented the County Commissioner and Plan Commission members with a copy of the 2023 Annual Report.
Adley said 2023 was a year of great accomplishment for Marshall County both through the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. The department has experienced an increase in permit numbers and an increase in the valuation of permits. In 2023 there were 1098 permits issued in comparison to the 1072 issued in 2022. The valuation for 2023 was $145,327,000 which is more than $94,210,229 in 2022.
Adley told the commissioner, “Given everything that had occurred during 2023, many residents found ways to continue their investment in Marshall County. The vast majority of these investments came in the form of new accessory buildings, conventional homes, and small commercial buildings.” The increase was 2.4% for permits. Adley said part of the increase is due to the cost of materials and the increase in manpower costs.
Adley said the 15-year comparison continues to trend upwards. He said, “Looking at the last 5 years, the average permit has been over 1,000 per year which is drastically higher than the 15-year average of just shy of 700.”
There was a total of 43 cases heard by the Marshall County Board of Zoning Appeals in 2023 versus 56 cases in 2022. There was a total of 8 special uses, 28 variances of development standards, and 7 variances of use.
There was a total of 18 cases heard by the Marshall County Plan Commission in 2023 versus 6 cases in 2022. There was a total of 1 vacation, 1 Planned Unit Development (PUD), 6 subdivisions, 1 zoning map amendment, and 9 ordinance amendments.
In 2023 significant staffing changes impacted the progress on an estimated 42 cases in various stages. Ten cases from the 42 are still open from prior years 2019 to 2022. These are due to violations still pending, fines outstanding, and or legal action pending.
Aldey said, “Most common violations are waste and debris on properties. Many feel their use of a property does not affect the neighborhood. We have properties that have been abandoned and are up for tax sale. We are limited on the legal actions on properties up for tax sale. It takes years to have structures removed.”
