County OKs zoning reg to allow bourbon warehouses in agricultural areas

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015 — Meeting in regular session today, Nelson Fiscal Court voted to leave the county property tax rate unchanged at 14.3 cents per $100 value of assessed property value.

Nelson County Judge Executive Dean Watts noted that if the court opted for a 4 percent revenue increase, the tax rate would increase to 14.8 cents per $100 value. The higher rate would mean that a taxpayer with property assessed at $120,000 would pay an additional $6 in tax this year.

Max Shapira, president of Heaven Hill Brands, speaks with an attorney prior to the start of Tuesday’s Nelson Fiscal Court meeting. The court unanimously approved a series of zoning regulation changes, one of which will allow distilleries to build warehouses in areas zoned for agricultural uses. The regulation includes specific guidelines a proposed warehouse project would be required to meet.

Watts however, did not recommend the higher rate but opted ti recommend the rate stay the same. Watts told the court that the county-owned EMS service — which the county subsidizes — will be updating their rates so they can generate additional revenue.

Overall, the taxes on real estate, personal property, motor vehicles, distilled spirits and others will raise an estimated $4.7 million in revenue.

ZONING REG CHANGES. The court approved without discussion the list of zoning regulation amendments that were approved last week in a public hearing by the Joint City-County Planning Commission.

One of the regulation changes that has attracted attention from the bourbon industry is a change that will allow distilled spirits warehouses to be built on land zone A-1 Agricultural.

In June, Heaven Hill Brands had requested a zoning change for 174 acres in Cox’s Creek for a warehouse complex, but asked the planning commission to table their request to allow time for needed approvals of a change in existing zoning regulations.

Current zoning regulations only allow the warehouses in land that is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial. There were doubts the planning commission would approve placing industrial zoning in the middle of an agricultural area, and the amended regulation — after final approval — will allow construction of warehouses on tracts that meet the requirements outlined in the regulations.

Max Shapira, president of Heaven Hill Brands, attended this morning’s meeting but did not address the court.

Judge Executive Dean Watts talks taxes with Keith Metcalfe, magistrate of the county’s 1st District, prior to the start of Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting.

TAX DISCUSSION. Watts presented the court with a list of county government’s financial obligations on the state and local levels in order for taxpayers to know where their tax dollars go.

By statute, the county provides funding for the county jail, health department, sheriff, animal control, elections, coroner’s office and more, totalling $4.27 million.

Locally, the county provides $928,000 in funding for the E-911 dispatch center, the planning commission, funding for social services and maintenance of county property.

The county has assessed real estate totalling $2.45 billion, which generates $3.29 million in property tax revenue after discounts and commissions. Of the total property assessed, $834 million is inside the city limits, which generates $1.12 million in tax revenue.

In other business, the court

— heard a report from Sharon Shanks, director of the Nelson County Public Library, that the library board has approved keeping the library tax on real estate the same, and lower slightly the tax rate on personal property from 8.14 to 8.1 cents per $100 value.

— approved United Mechanical’s bid of $125,234.90 for Phase 3 of the HVAC and smoke evacuation project at the Nelson County Jail.

— approved first reading on a zoning request from Frankie Cambron to rezone 16.36 acres on Lenore Road, R-1A residential to A-1 agricultural.

— approved first reading of a zoning request from Donald B. Mudd to rezone 2.8 acres on Stonehouse Road, A-1 agricultural to R-1A residential.

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