MOUNT VERNON — Questions regarding Knox County’s Comprehensive Plan and building codes took center stage during Thursday’s public hearing.

The Knox County Regional Planning Commission held its second public hearing on Thursday night at Knox Memorial Theater regarding its countywide comprehensive plan, Together Knox.

With approximately 21 people filling the lower floor, Regional Planning executive secretary Darrel Severns gave an overview of the 180-plus page plan, comprising of 10 principles.

  • Strengthen the centers for each community, including villages and the City of Mount Vernon
  • Focus growth inwardly, prioritizing infill and redevelopment over greenfield locations
  • Protect natural assets, including streams, stream corridors, wetlands, ponds, lakes and steep slopes
  • Conserve agricultural land
  • Dedicate places for industrial employment
  • Providing housing choices
  • Stabilize established neighborhoods
  • Support and maintain unique residential places
  • Leverage the campuses of the higher education institutions
  • Improve major corridors

The entire comprehensive plan draft can be read here.

Afterward, Severns gave the public the option to speak — either give input on the drafted plan and/or ask questions.

The majority of questions and input centered around building codes, specifically found on page 73 of the plan.

Jefferson Township Trustee Monica Severns suggested a change in verbiage to the building code section.

“It’s concerning for me,” Severns said. “The way it’s written (…) as an English major, I always pay attention to verbiage, grammar.”

Severns suggested looser verbiage on the building code section, rather than using “(…) how such codes could be implemented in Knox County,” should be changed to “if such codes could be implemented in Knox County.”

Severns also said building code enforcement could bring up the cost of housing.

Severns used the example of Darrel Severns building most of a home for Monica’s 76-year-old mother, who moved to Ohio.

“He wired it, did the plumbing,” Monica Severns said. “And if building codes were in place, he wouldn’t be able to do it because he’s not a certified plumber or electrician.”

When asked what the purpose was of including a building code section into the drafted comprehensive plan, Darrel said the county is likely going to face development pressure for home building.

A Mount Vernon resident asked if the drafted comprehensive plan is a recommendation or mandate for the county. Darrel Severns confirmed it’s a recommendation.

Future hearings

The City of Mount Vernon plans to conduct public hearings and give the draft plan three readings during regular council sessions.

In a previous Knox Pages article, Darrel said the regional planning committee (RPC) will vote on the plan at its Feb. 20 meeting.

If the RPC votes to recommend the plan to county commissioners, the commissioners will hold two public hearings. Afterward, the commissioners will hold a vote on the plan.