By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – Linn County Commissioners were advised by Mark Hagen, an attorney contracted for legal advise for the county, to not reply to Linn County resident Jan Longenecker about his concerns with a development on 1600 Road.
Longenecker, who lives on 1600 Road east of County Road 1077, told the commissioners that he was there as a representative of a group of landowners who lived in that neighborhood and were concerned about a development that Mike Page, dba M & M Adventures, was putting in on a 40 acres of land at 1700 and Gireau Road.
Longenecker said, “We want to bring to your attention what we believe to be and egregious violation of both county zoning and subdivision regulations.”
Longenecker explained that he did not believe that the plat, which originally was 10 homes on 40 acres and was turned down the first time it went to the planning board, met the qualifications of being a minor plat which it was approved as.
Longenecker implied that the Planning and Zoning Director Darin Wilson had allowed himself to get too close to the applicant and worked with him on changing the application to 20 acres for five homes as a minor plat.
It has changed some more since then, and Longenecker stated that he believed the regulations said that the maximum acreage for a minor plat was 10 acres. A minor plat does not have to go in front of the county planning commission or the board of county commissioners.
Longenecker said that the county commissioners were bypassed in this process, and what he and the people he represented wanted was for the issue to go before the county commissioners. He told the commissioners that the approval must be withdrawn and a stop order should be issued to stop any construction.
Commissioner Alison Hamilton told Longenecker, “For me personally, I am sorry that that happened. I personally believe that was an unfortunate use of administrative . . .”
At that point, Hagen told the commissioners that he felt that it was in his client’s (the county) best interest to refrain from discussing this with Longenecker.
Hagen said that he had been ready to answer Longenecker’s concerns, but because Longenecker suggested that he and his group of people have engaged a zoning attorney, Hagen felt that discussion should be held between that attorney and himself.
Hagen said that, because Longenecker was suggesting that a county employee was at fault and Longenecker had requested discovery items from that employee, it would be better if the commissioners did not comment.
In a later phone call with Hagen, he said that because Longenecker was intimating that there might be subsequent legal action, he has advised all county officials and staff to decline comments about the minor plat situation to which Longenecker was referring.
They commissioners and Hagen went into executive session to discuss this and came out with no action.
Commissioner Alison Hamilton told the group with Longenecker that she intended to follow up on the matter.
“Thank you for coming in you guys, I do plan on at some point reaching out and we’ll figure something out,” she said.
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