Atlas Twp.- The township board voted 4-1 on Jan.19 to form a land division committee.
Under the new guidelines the supervisor, assessor and planning commission chairperson will review any changes in land splits the township may encounter. According to the rules, details of the split will be made during a public meeting, a simple majority vote will be required and all zoning ordinances must be met for the division.
Prior to Monday’s decision, the township supervisor could make the land division independent of other officials.
‘The reason the division committee has been created are the past land splits that may have been done in error,? said Scott Statson, township trustee. ‘The biggest problems are from land splits done many years ago. I’m not blaming anyone’but there were errors. We waited on this decision to allow the new supervisor to have some input.?
Township Supervisor Shirley Kautman-Jones voted against the formation of the committee.
‘I feel I’m confident to make a decision on a land split,? said Kautman-Jones. ‘This is nothing more than creation of another level of government for residents to go through. Supervisors have made mistakes in the past on land division’there is no reason to believe I would. This move is causing one more thing for people to have to do.?
Rick Misek, township planning commission chairperson, said the new committee should assure transparency in government.
‘It’s just makes good sense to have a couple more pairs of eyes to review the split,? he said. ‘There’s nothing behind closed doors.?