COUNTY ZONING: OPPONENTS BLAST OFFICIALS OVER PLAN

JACKSON - A group opposed to county zoning Thursday heard from candidates for first district county commissioner, took turns blasting members of the county commission and planning commission.

The group also criticized provisions of a zoning ordinance that voters will consider Nov. 3. If approved, the measure will take effect Jan. 1.

About 100 people attended the meeting, sponsored by Citizens Against Unfair Planning and Zoning.

Darrell Hanschen and Richard Schmidt, who organized a petition drive last spring that put the zoning issue on the ballot, presided over the meeting.

Hanschen maintained the petition drive was started only after county officials failed to respond to their efforts to change the proposed ordinance and meet their concerns. Hanschen insisted that he and Schmidt weren't opposed to the concept of planning and zoning, but didn't favor this plan.

"Our attitude has never been to throw it out and walk away from it," Hanschen said. "But we have to throw this out because they won't amend it."

Throughout the evening, Schmidt cited examples of how Cape County officials had failed to follow state statutes since voters in 1972 approved county planning. That vote led to development of a master plan and the subsequent zoning ordinance.

Waving the document, Hanschen declared, "this 80 pages of garbage has been approved by the county commission."

He and others criticized the county's payment of $88,000 to the Regional Planning Commission in Perryville to pay for development of the zoning plan.

"We need it out bad; we don't need this farce put upon us," argued Schmidt.

Larry Bock and George Cox, the two candidates for first district associate commissioner, spoke briefly at the 90 minute meeting and also addressed questions from the audience.

Bock, the Republican candidate, told the group that zoning is "one of the most important issues in the county at this time.

"I support planning and zoning as a whole, however I feel the present plan needs to be modified to address concerns of the public if adopted."

Bock stressed that he is not against "reasonable and fair" planning and zoning and noted that without it, "there would be no protection for a majority of the citizens."

He also said that if the county has no planning and zoning, then state law gives the cities of Cape and Jackson some control over a two-mile radius outside their cities to impose some zoning restriction.

"The cities will be far more restrictive than what we need for the county," said Bock, who displayed a map showing the area that would be included in the two-mile radii.

Bock added that he sensed a lack of trust in government and noted, "you don't build trust by forcing change." If elected to the county commission, Bock said he would work closely with citizens to seek their input on major issues like planning and zoning.

In contrast, Cox downplayed the need for planning and zoning in the county and suggested that regardless of whether the county has it, there are state and federal regulations that have to be followed to protect citizens.

The Democratic candidate said that since 3,000 people had signed petitions to put the issue on the ballot, it is important not to ignore their wishes.

Cox said if he is elected and zoning remains in effect, he would appoint a three member panel to recommend changes in the ordinance. He then would present those to the planning commission and county commission and urge their approval.

Both candidates were asked their feelings on subdivision rules in the zoning plan, which opponents have cited as a concern.

Bock said he would favor changing subdivision regulations if they allowed property owners to sell small tracts of land without the falling within the requirements.

Cox told the group, "if there is one thing in this plan I don't like, it is the subdivision rules. If you have enough land for a home, water, and septic tank, then you should not need subdivision regulations."

Cox, responding to complaints about Planning Administrator Charles Engelhart, said he would support a change in state law to require that the director be elected.

Several people urged Cox and Bock to replace Engelhart if they were elected to the commission. But both said they would make any decisions based on Engelhart's performance after they took office, not on charges of what might have happened prior to that.

One woman in the audience pressed the candidates on how they would vote on the planning and zoning issue.

Bock said he considered his vote on that issue the same as his vote for president, governor, and other issues and offices. "How I vote, that's personal," said Bock.

Cox admitted it was "a tough question" but remarked, "I'm a big boy." Cox said he was not satisfied with the plan in its present form and unless the commission changed it before Nov. 3, he would vote against it.

Besides criticizing Engelhart, Hanschen and several others in the audience lashed out at planning commission attorney J. Fred Waltz, Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep, and Associate Commissioners Leonard Sander and E.C. Younghouse.

One person wanted to know whether the candidates had the ability to "withstand the pressures of Gene Huckstep."

Bock said regardless of who he was dealing with as a county commissioner, "I would stand up for what I felt is right for Cape County."

But Cox told the crowed he had been manager of Fruitland Livestock for 12 years and declared, "I've met a lot of people tougher than Gene Huckstep."

Hanschen said he was concerned that Younghouse and Huckstep might vote to put zoning back on the ballot in April if it was defeated in November. He asked how they were going to fight such an effort.

Bock replied that he felt confident the other members of the commission would consider the will of the people in any decisions they make.

Cox remarked, "I plan on using your all's support to get what the people want done."

Hanschen added, "when Mr. Huckstep's time comes up (1994 election) we need to mobilize, because this man needs to go."

Schmidt expressed opposition to mobile home regulations in the plan and argued that the county had no business telling people where they could put mobile homes.

Both Schmidt and Hanschen stressed the planning commission had gotten too powerful and expressed concern that having zoning would only make it more powerful and even less responsive to citizens.

"We're going to build another bureaucracy another branch of county government," said Hanschen.

Plans also were discussed for the campaign that will be waged to defeat zoning the next two weeks. Several in the audience expressed concern that people in Cape Girardeau would vote for zoning, even though it would not affect them.

"It just drives me up the wall when somebody tells me what I can do with my property," Hanschen said.