“The district and Mr. Nutter are ready to go,” said Peg Arnold, board president, of their zoning request.
It was revealed Wednesday that half of the 10 sitting zoning commission and board of zoning appeals members have continued to serve 18 months after their terms expired without being reappointed. The mistakes could put months of decisions into legal jeopardy.
Victoria Long, zoning director, said confusion before she joined the township in 2008 caused the errors. She believes wording in the township’s zoning resolution establishing the board allows for members to serve until their successor is sworn in. Trustee Carol Graff said she supports that belief, saying all members of the board were “serving legitimately.”
But trustees Bob Stone and Bob Glaser were not so sure. Stone said he hoped that legal reasoning would hold up, and Glaser pointed out that commissioners are sworn in to serve specific dates. The Thursday zoning commission meeting was canceled on the advice of legal counsel, Stone said.
Trustees will take “some action” at their regular meeting Monday, March 8, when board appointments are listed as an action item under zoning on the agenda, Stone said.
It’s unclear when the zoning commission will take up the school district’s request again. They heard hours of input at a hearing Feb. 4 before tabling the discussion.
Beavercreek voters approved an $84 million bond issue in 2008 to build new schools to ease overcrowding, but work has fallen more than a year behind schedule after a prolonged negotiation with landowner Nutter.
About the Author