Dubois County creates advisory plan commission, names first five citizen members
Dubois County now has a plan commission.
Dubois County Commissioners passed the ordinance establishing the plan commission at Monday’s regular meeting. They also followed up on the County Council’s decision last week to appoint Councilwoman Meredith Voegerl to the plan commission by appointing five citizen members and the statutory members.
The commission is a needed step for the county’s comprehensive plan. Under Indiana law, a county cannot formally adopt a comprehensive plan without a plan commission. The new commission will take up the plan currently being drafted by American StructurePoint and send a recommendation to commissioners.
Creating the commission does not mean the county will adopt zoning. County Attorney Greg Schnarr told commissioners a plan commission can exist with or without zoning. But if the county does choose zoning, he said, it would need one.
That question has hung over county government since residents began pressing for rules on large solar and battery storage projects. In June, American StructurePoint’s Philip Roth told commissioners zoning would require a comprehensive plan as its policy base, and that state law would not allow the county to ban alternative energy everywhere.
No one from the public spoke on the ordinance before the vote.
Because this is an advisory commission, not an area plan commission, Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand keep their own planning jurisdictions, including the fringe areas outside town limits.
Citizen members must live in the unincorporated parts of the county that fall under the new commission. Schnarr said his reading of the ordinance excludes the extraterritorial areas the cities and towns already control. The ordinance also addresses land ownership in those areas.
Party balance is set by state law. Of the five citizen members, three can be from one party and two from the other. Party is based on how a person voted in the most recent primary, or on a certification from the local party chair.
Commissioner Chad Blessinger said about 14 people answered after the openings were announced at the previous meeting and on Facebook. Some were ineligible because they lived within a city or town’s limits or within a city’s planning jurisdiction.
He said he tried to spread members across the county’s townships. The most activity right now is in the southwest, he said, but that could shift.
State law adds four seats by position: a county council member, a commissioner, the Purdue Extension educator and the county surveyor.
Blessinger named himself the commissioners’ appointee for now because Commissioner Serice Stenftenagel is not running for reelection, and Commissioner Nick Hostetter was absent. Commissioners said the seat could change later.
Appointees
Statutory Members
- Meredith Voegerl — County Fiscal Body Representative
- Chad Blessinger — County Executive Representative
- Ken Brosmer — County Surveyor
- Ken Eck — County Agricultural Extension Educator
Commissioner Appointments – Citizen Members (Three Republicans and two Democrats based on last primary election choice)
- Steve Bassett (Ireland area)
- Tim Gray (Southeast Dubois area)
- Ed Hildenbrand (Southwest Dubois area)
- Bryant Kieffner (Northeast Dubois area)
- Beth Waltz (Southeast Dubois area)
The county will also need to appoint a board of zoning appeals if it adopts zoning. Blessinger said they still have choices on the list of candidates for the plan commission who could be considered for the board of zoning appeals.
The new board is set to hold its first meeting on 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in the Dubois County Annex Commissioner/Council meeting room. It will also be streamed live on YouTube – Dubois County Government https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dubois+county+government
