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Estherville City Council Tables Proposed Zoning Amendment

January 18, 2022 Steve Schwaller

(Estherville)– The Estherville City Council Monday evening tabled action on a proposed amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance. It would have amended some language for accessory building and residential dwelling standards. It would also broaden the type of building materials allowed for use in renovations. Councilman Roy Gage expressed some concerns he has over the proposed change during a public hearing, saying the revisions are vague and in some cases poorly worded. Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Julie Clark said she thinks the matter should be tabled for another reason…

“Somebody introduced in the Senate subcommittee, local government, legislation limiting local governments ability to regulate that sort of thing. I don’t know where that bill is going to go, but we might want to table this until we know for sure exactly what the state’s going to prevent us from doing.”

Councilman Dave Seylor expressed his frustration over the legislature taking away power from local government…

“It’s another example of our legislators taking away our ability to do home rule. They’re trying to micromanage us.”

The council voted unanimously to hold off on any action pending the outcome of the bill in the legislature.