As the Knox Board of Zoning Appeals prepares to make a decision on a proposed homeless shelter, an effort to add a new member to the board was unsuccessful. During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Council President Jeff Berg made a motion to appoint Monica Miller to fill a longstanding vacancy on the BZA.
“There has been a vacant seat on the Knox Board of Zoning Appeals for a long time, and that is a Knox Common Council appointment,” Berg explained. “And we have not provided that appointment, as I said, for probably going on three years now.”
But Miller is currently running for Starke County treasurer, and Mayor Dennis Estok reminded council members that elected officials are not allowed to serve on the BZA. That means that if she were to win the election, she would only be able to serve on the BZA until the end of the year. Council members ultimately agreed to hold off on Miller’s appointment until after the election, and Berg’s motion died for a lack of a second.
