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Amendment discussed

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Chad Bahr, county zoning administrator for Webster County, points out the unincorporated areas of the county that could benefit from a proposed amendment to ag exemption rules.

The Webster County Board of Supervisors held an initial public hearing Tuesday to consider an amendment to a zoning ordinance affecting ag exemptions.

The proposal to amend section 1.04 of Ordinance 046 would allow a small parcel where a farmer’s home and operation are located to be eligible for an ag exemption, even if the home and land are not all contiguous.

The amendment came through the Planning & Zoning Commission in July, which recommended the changes in an Aug. 13 forum, said Chad Bahr, planning and zoning administrator for Webster County.

Applicants for the ag exemption receive the benefit, if approved by the P&Z Commission, of being exempt from zoning rules in unincorporated areas. But currently, the rules are written so that a farm home cannot be separated from the land the farmer tends to.

“Decades ago, we had the farmhouse with grounds around it on the same parcel,” said Bahr. “But now, there tends to be more separation.”

He said the dated rule needed to be updated to accomodate the modern farmer.

“This (amendment) would give the ability for us to give ag exemptions,” he said, even when the house is separated from the land.

Those applying for the exemption must be approved after filling out a two-page application detailing their operation.

Supervisors waived second consideration of the amendment. They will take final consideration of the amendment at their Sept. 17 meeting.

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