Dubois County resident ordered to clean up property

Commissioners give property owners until June 16 to address junk vehicles, scattered items, and business operations concerns

The Dubois County Commissioners have postponed a ruling on a property maintenance case involving the Kippenbrock property on Old State Road 64, giving the owners additional time to clean up items scattered around the property edges.

The case, which began with a notice of ordinance violation in November 2023, involves concerns about “large amounts of various items stored all along the property edges,” unregistered vehicles, and questions about the legitimacy of a firewood business operated on the site.

Carla Striegel-Winner, director of the Dubois County Solid Waste Management District, told commissioners that despite some initial progress after the violation notice, compliance issues remain unresolved.

“There’s large amounts of various items stored all along the property edges,” she told the commissioners. “The Kippenbrocks were told to remove those from the edges, have a central storage area that is closer to the home and the business instead of next to their neighbors.”

Striegel-Winner noted that while some business-related storage is acceptable, the current situation creates an “unsightly” appearance for neighbors.

Photos presented to the commissioners showed various items stored along property edges, vehicles that may not be properly registered, and what Striegel-Winner described as a generally untidy appearance that fails to comply with county ordinances.

Lance Kippenbrock, who attended the meeting, pledged to address the issues promptly.

“We are holding a couple vehicles for friends, but they’ll be gone in the 30 days,” he told commissioners.

Kippenbrock explained that a metal container is being delivered to help with cleanup efforts, and he plans to dispose of scrap metal and other items currently scattered around the property.

When questioned about his business operations, Kippenbrock described an informal firewood operation where he cuts and splits wood. He acknowledged the business is not registered with the state and that he doesn’t file business tax returns.

“It’s not a business,” he said. “It’s just something I’ve been doing since high school.”

“If you are not a legitimate business, then you are just a guy with a bunch of stuff in your yard,” Commissioner Chad Blessinger said, pointing out that certain protections available to a business don’t apply in that case.

The commissioners also heard that the property has been a concern for several years, with gradual expansion of stored materials and previous complaints about burning and items placed too close to the road.

Cynthia Kippenbrock spoke in support of her son, noting that he has been working on improvements but often gets sidetracked helping others.

“He is busy with things that are just happening in other people’s lives where they call him and say, ‘Hey man, I need a favor or I need help.’ So that stops him. He drops everything and goes to those people,” she explained.

Striegel-Winner’s recommendations to the commissioners included requiring the Kippenbrocks to reimburse the county for resources spent on the case (estimated at $480 for 20 hours of work), plus an additional fine of up to $1,000.

Other recommendations included requiring all items stored along property edges to be moved to a central location within 15 days, installing fencing or a structure to block visibility from neighboring properties within 30 days, and ensuring all visible vehicles have valid registration or are removed from sight.

Rather than imposing immediate penalties, the commissioners unanimously agreed to postpone their ruling until their June 16 meeting at 8:45 a.m., giving the Kippenbrocks time to make substantial improvements.

“I want to encourage people to do the right things and not have a heavy hand if we can avoid it,” Commissioner Chad Blessinger stated.

He explained that could change if they come by the property over the next few weeks and don’t see any activity.

“If it looks like you’ve done nothing, that’ll probably weigh on my judgment versus if you’re taking significant action,” he added.

The commissioners encouraged the Kippenbrocks to clean up the property, organize their operations, and be considerate of neighbors.

“Clean it up for your neighbors. That’s a big thing,” said Commissioner Serice Steftenagel. “And possibly look at a fence or something, or a building to store most of this stuff in.”

The Kippenbrocks expressed appreciation for the opportunity to address the issues before a final ruling is made.

“We appreciate it. Thanks for the opportunity,” Cynthia Kippenbrock said as the hearing concluded.