Pulaski County CDC to Clarify Rezoning Procedures, As Commissioners Consider CAFO Proposal

Pulaski County Commissioners: Bud Krohn Jr., Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

As the Pulaski County Commissioners continue mulling over plans for a confined animal feeding operation, the Community Development Commission wants to make sure they have enough information to make an informed decision. Four wean-to-finish pig production buildings would be built near county roads 300 South and 700 West, under the proposal.

While the county commissioners haven’t yet approved the necessary rezoning of the land, it has gotten a favorable recommendation from the advisory plan commission. CDC Executive Director Nathan Origer told the commissioners Monday that there are certain criteria that any zoning change is supposed to meet, but there have been questions as to whether the plan commission followed that procedure.

Origer offered to review the decision with staff in the Pulaski County Building Department. “With your okay, I’m going to get with those gentlemen and nothing especially long, but go through those points in the code and maybe prepare a report so that when you do make your decision, whether you say yes or no, when somebody wants to call you out on why you made that decision, at least you have a paper trail on what helps you to make that decision,” Origer said. He also plans to make sure the plan commission addresses those questions any time there’s a rezoning request.

The commissioners have previously said they want to hold off on making a decision until all three members are present. If they don’t make a decision by their second meeting in August, the rezoning would automatically proceed, as recommended by the plan commission.