County administrator Matt Huddleston took a few minutes at the board meeting to share thoughts about Joe Skala, Lake County Planning Commissioner for 47 years, who passed away Jan. 17.
Huddleston expressed gratitude to Skala for the enormous legacy of knowledge and earned expertise that he brought to the commission work which coincided with Huddleston’s first years as county administrator.
“He was passionate about land use and had been there since the beginning, or nearly,” said Huddleston. “I came from areas that didn’t have that kind of longevity and I appreciated the difference. He’d seen it all before. He knew how to guide people towards a decision, and he knew from experience the potential consequences.”
Skala came from Fall Lake and attended countless meetings, long before there were virtual meetings, logging many miles of driving.
In other business, Huddleston outlined the schedule for the approval of new ordinances, the result of many hours of meetings.
All the changes apply only to inland areas, not the coastline which is managed separately.
The ordinance will tweak specifications like lot size, lot width, setbacks, and density, bringing some of them up to the state restriction level, keeping others at a more restrictive level.
Development standards will also be adjusted, some in line with the state requirements, others different or more restrictive.
The next work session, which is public, will take place on Feb. 26.
Huddleston encouraged interested citizens to attend and listen.
The opportunity to comment at a meeting will take place mid-March and a final decision is expected by the end of March or beginning of April.
