Year in Review: New Fr. Co. Commission Chair Outlines Goals

As we begin our look back on the top stories of 2023 we begin with a change of leadership on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.

In January, former County Commissioner Jeff Jacques took the helm as the new Franklin County Commission Chair.

At their first regular Board of Commissioners meeting of 2023 Jacques wasted no time in addressing issues he sees with the new Unified Development Code.

Noting the significant growth the County has experienced since 2005 and the need for the new UDC, Jacques said some areas still need review and he ran down a list of several of those issues.

Jacques then recommended the Board of Commissioners work with a Citizen Review Panel on the issues he addressed.

Commissioner Busby noted there is already a citizen review panel in place and said she would volunteer to serve as the Board’s liaison.

Since then, the Citizen Review Panel has been working with Commissioner Busby on changes and adjustments to the UDC and at their December meeting, Jacques announced the Board will be ready to vote on the residential changes after the first of the year.

Another issue addressed by Jacques in January was the nee to change how building inspections were done for residential construction.

He said the amount of fees being charged by Bureau Veritas for building permits and inspections for homeowners building their own home was far and away over what neighboring counties are charging for residential inspections.

In March, Jacques outlined a simplified process for residential building inspections putting control in the hands of the homeowner.

Those changes were adopted by the Board of Commissioners in the summer.