WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS ADOPT UPDATED SUBDIVISION MANUAL

  

Washington County Commissioners moved today (Tuesday) to authorize a suite of changes to the county’s subdivision and development regulations and its design and construction standards.

The revisions follow what was first presented to commissioners at a workshop in December and cover matters including the platting process, right-of-way dedication, fire suppression requirements, public water and wastewater design specifications, outlines for detention pond calculations, and migrating from using chipseal for roads toward asphalt and concrete.

County Engineer Wesley Stolz said the adjustments are being made with keeping the county’s continued growth in mind.

The revisions to the regulations include the addition of a minor plat to streamline reviews for smaller subdivisions of four lots or less, only requiring approval from the county engineer rather than the commissioners court.  They will also get rid of preliminary plats, which Stolz said should make the review process more efficient.

Additionally, Stolz said right-of-way dedication for subdivisions will be required “proportional to the actual development,” and they call for a traffic impact analysis in the event of a very large subdivision coming in.  He said the regulations also account for the potential of municipal utility districts (MUD) and the type of infrastructure that would be required for them.  

For developments with 20 or more lots, they will now be required to have a fire suppression system so that firefighters can have a water source.  For road paving, Stolz said asphalt and concrete will be the primary method moving forward, in part due to their longer lifespan in comparison to chipseal and because the number of chipseal contractors has shrunk to a “very small market.”

Stolz also noted that the one-year road maintenance bond period will increase to two years, in order to give more time to see how the roads are affected by traffic from the subdivisions.  He said another point of emphasis was cleaning up processes for managing documents and records.

Stolz said the new regulations are not meant to impede development or put a burden on existing taxpayers; instead, the goal is to increase the county’s standards to a level more in line with nearby counties.

After adopting the new regulations and standards manual, commissioners approved the new Engineering and Development Services fee schedule. 

Also in session, the court agreed to designate the Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace conference room on the west side of the Washington County Expo Annex building as an additional courtroom location for district court proceedings, as needed.  The action comes as construction continues at the courthouse and as the county has explored off-site locations to hold court proceedings. 

Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace, Judge Douglas Zwiener, said he was approached by 21^st District Court Judge Carson Campbell about using the space for smaller proceedings or hearings that would not require juries.  Zwiener said the district judges have allowed him the ability to use their courtrooms when needed, so he wanted to do the same for them. 

Commissioner Dustin Majewski said from his conversations with District Court Coordinator Marissa Daniels, there would not be any changes needed to the safety plan from what is already being done.

Other business included the acceptance of donations of $650 and $400 from Franke Automotive and the Washington County Democratic Club, respectively, and the creation of a special donation fund to receive and administer donations for the benefit of the E911 Department.  The department is seeking donations to show appreciation for dispatchers as part of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12-18.

Commissioners also:

• Received a presentation of the tax phase-in compliance review committee report for 2025, regarding current tax phase-in agreements.
• Received a presentation of the delinquent tax, fine and fee collection report by Leslie Schkade with Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott, LLP.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.