The HIGHER

Standard February
Need Help?
Plan Commission:
Are you in the Zone?
Builders Association of
Northeast Indiana

State of Indiana
www.ba-ni.com
(260) 665-8921

proposes unemployment
insurance changes
Indiana Builders Association
BANI Open House
www.buildindiana.org
(800) 377-6334 February 8

National Association of
Building
Permits
Home Builders
www.nahb.org
(800) 368-5242

Presidents Pen…….…………….. 2 The newest must

Calendar……..…...………………. 3

State Edition…...………………... 4
have tool for your
Special Edition……………..……..5

Permits…..………………………... 6
toolbox
Planning Ahead..………………….7
 Member Minute

Jeff Wilson, President The President's Pen...

Bob Buescher Homes
Dear Members,
2 Fred Kreigh, Vice President
0 K & F Construction
As the snow continues to fall I am excited to tell you
1 Jan, Garman Treasurer
about the additions to our schedule, as well as an Open
House in place of our membership meeting. We are also
1 Wabash Electric hosting an Educational Seminar in the month of
February and builders should have received the
Beth Cartwright, Treasurer Remodelers tour application for the first weekend in
B Angola Lumber May.
O
Dan Study, Past President
A Chapel Homes The Open House, is going to be held Tuesday, February 8
at the BANI office from 9 am to 5 pm. Members are
R
Dennis Spidel encouraged to stop in throughout the day to meet the
D Dennis Spidel Custom Homes staff, ratify the new constitution, and check out the
facility. Food will be available all day with a light lunch
served from 11 am-1 pm. Please do not miss this event.
Jeff Deahl
O
Four Seasons Design & Remodel
F Inc.
The Educational Seminar, is a residential construction
fall protection seminar that is going to take place Friday,
Chris Evans
February 25. NAHB and OSHA have partnered to bring
D Homes By Jim Ingledue this seminar to our own backyard. I would highly
Construction
encourage any residential builder to participate as we all
I know the fines can add up quickly. Never pass up an
Carl Cox
R opportunity for safety.
J O Mory
E
C
Mark Knisley Finally, all the builders should receive soon, if they have
Kuntry Lumber not already the Remodelers Tour applications. We are
T looking forward to a great spring and with membership
Dan Keller participation in events like this it helps all members
O
Lutterbein Lumber
grow their businesses.
R Here’s to hoping for

S Terry Hughes
an early Spring!
Sincerely,
Momper Insulation

Jack Musson
Jeff Wilson
Musson Builders

2 The Higher Standard February

 FEBRUARY
2 Happy Ground Hog Day
8 BANI Open House Angola
7-11 CAPS Designation Course Indianapolis
14 Happy Valentines Day
14-17 Master CGP Course Indianapolis
25 OSHA Fall Protection Class Fort Wayne

FEBRUARY
Membership Meeting
BANI Office
Tuesday, February 8
9 am—5 pm

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Food, Drawings, & Networking Available

so stop anytime throughout the day!
IN Legislative News
Provides that an individual employed for
any week on an on-call or as-needed basis
and who receives remuneration for
personal services or has available work
from an on-call employer is not totally or
partially unemployed for purposes of
receiving an unemployment benefit.
Removes the cap on wage credits.
Establishes the weekly unemployment
insurance benefit amount as 47% of the in-
dividual's prior average weekly wage.
Establishes the maximum weekly benefit
amount at $390. Removes from the
definition of "deductible income": (1) for a
week in which a payment is actually
received by an individual, payments made
by an employer to an individual who
accepts an offer from the employer in
connection with a layoff or a plant closure;
and (2) the part of a payment made by an
employer to an individual who accepts an
offer from the employer in connection with
a layoff or a plant closure if that part is
attributable to a week, and the week: (A)
occurs after an individual receives the
payment; and (B) was used under the terms
of a written agreement to compute the
payment. Includes in the definition of
"deductible income": (1) compensation made
under a valid negotiated contract or
agreement in connection with a layoff or
plant closure, without regard to how the
compensation is characterized by the
contract or agreement; and (2) a
supplemental unemployment insurance
benefit made under a valid negotiated
contract or agreement. Provides for an
annual employer surcharge that, for 2011,
is equal to 13% of the contribution rate
paid by the employer, if the state is
required to pay interest on advances
made to the state from the federal
unemployment account in the federal
unemployment trust fund. For a
calendar year after 2011, requires the
department of workforce development
(department) to determine the surcharge
percentage for the year by January 31
based on: (1) the interest rate charged
the state for the year; and (2) the state's
outstanding loan balance to the federal
unemployment account on January 1.
Allows the department to use the
employer surcharge to repay interest on
federal advances. Establishes the
unemployment insurance solvency fund
for the part of the employer surcharge
used to repay interest on federal
advances. Provides that, for calendar
years 2011 through 2020, Schedule E
applies in determining and assigning
each employer's contribution rate.
Specifies the benefit computation for an
individual who is temporarily
unemployed because of a planned
shutdown of the individual's
employer. IBA continues to work with
Legislators and state officials on the
unemployment insurance issue and its
impact on IBA members.
 Newest tool to add to the toolbox?
Phone Apps
Melissa Kossler Dutton
Associated Press
Home improvement and design
enthusiasts can add a versatile tool
to their toolbox:a phone.
Software programs available for cell
phones can help with selecting paint
colors, finding artwork, and picking
decorating styles.
Mark English, a San Francisco architect, uses
an application on his cell phone to help clients
visualize projects and plans. English creates
“idea books” or files of images for his clients to
review with Houzz, a free phone app that
contains more than 70,000 photos of rooms,
homes, and landscape projects. Having the
images to refer to helps clients articulate more
clearly their likes and dislikes, he said.
“We can develop a language where all know
what these adjective mean,” he said. “We get to
the point where we want to the goal is much
more quickly.”
Many apps are meant to provide inspiration for
people looking to redecorate. The Dream House
app allows users to search thousands of photos
sorted by style, room, and colors. The app
which ranges from 1.99 to 4.99 is like having
thousands of design magazines at your
fingertips, said “Peter Melnikov, vice president
of Apalon, which that created it.
Apps mean users can carry their inspirations
and ideas wherever they go said Bridget
Sandquist, editorial director for holidays and
entertaining at BHG.com, Better Homes and
Gardens website.
The magazine released an app which costs
$3.99 over the holidays that offered tips on
entertaining and hosting parties.
Readers could consult their phones in
the kitchen for recipes and in the store
when shopping, she said.
Decorating a room and looking for just
the right colors? Sherwin Williams’ free
ColorSnap App lets you take a photo of
an item and then find the name of the
paint hue that is closest to it. You can
fine tune the color making it brighter or
lighter and also by finding
complimentary colors.
Homeowners with freshly painted walls
can determine what to hang on them
with app from Art.com. The free
program lets users upload photos of the
wall and digitally fill it with various
pieces of artwork. The resulting images
can be sent to family and friends to get
their opinions too.
Once the perfect piece of art is located a
level app can help you hang it straight.
Stanley Bostitch offers a free app that
turns iPhones into picture levelers.
The Good Housekeeping app offers ad-
vice on a variety of issues ranging from
“how to remove mustard stains” to
“inspiration for a bathroom renovation,”
said Sara Lyle, Lifestyle Director.
Good Housekeeping launched its free
app last year with the intention of
putting lots of advice and articles in
readers hands at once, she said.
The app includes step-by-step
instructions for many projects.
The Higher Standard 5
 2010 Building Permits
Category Noble* Steuben LaGrange

Homes 29 58 71

Residential 30 104 163

Additions

Industrial 6 17 81

December
*In Noble County six towns issue building
permits as well as the county, these numbers
are reflective of the county.
In Steuben County, the county as well as the
city of Angola issue permits, these numbers
are reflective of the county.
In LaGrange County, all building permits are
issued out of LaGrange.

6 The Higher Standard - February

 By: Zach Michels, Steuben County Plan Director
Planning Ahead plancommission@co.steuben.in.us OR 260 668.1000 x1600

Traditional planning/zoning divides the community into different zones.  In general, each community will 
have some variation of agricultural, residential, commercial/business, industrial, and specialty zones.  The 
intent of creating different zones is to reduce negative impacts between uses, for example, to make sure a 
factory or landfill is not built next to your house. 
The Steuben County Zoning Ordinance lists 13 different zoning districts: Agriculture, Environmental Control, 
Residence‐1, Residence‐2, Residence‐3, Lake Residence, Manufactured Home, Local Business, General Busi‐
ness, Accommodation Business, Light Industry, General Industry, and Wind Energy Conversion Overlay. 
Each zoning district has a table of uses which describes what uses are permitted (by right), what uses are 
special exceptions (permitted after a review to determine if certain criteria are met), and what uses are not 
permitted.  Each zoning district also has developmental standards for things like setbacks, building heights, 
and coverage areas. 
The Steuben County Zone Map, the map showing where the different districts are located, was prepared 
starting in 1970 and adopted in 1974.  Since then, it has been amended many times in many places.  Zone 
changes can be initiated by a couple of methods.  They can be started by the Plan Commission or the County 
Board of Commissioners.  They can be started by property owners. 
Almost all of the zone changes from 1974 through 2008 were initiated by individual property owners.  In the 
fall of 2008, the Plan Commission Office reviewed the zone maps and made a list of areas that needed rezon‐
ing.  Most of these zone changes are in areas that have had subdivisions developed since the original maps 
were prepared.  For example, the original zoning was as an agricultural district, but the area has been devel‐
oped for lake homes. 
Rezoning the properties to match the existing use and the future use prevents serious headaches for the 
property owners.  For example, a lot near the lake that is zoned agriculture must meet the (larger) setbacks 
and (smaller) coverages for agriculture.  This can make it difficult to add‐on to an existing home or to replace 
a damaged one. 
Zone change petitions are heard by the Plan Commission at a public hearing.  They review the petition and 
evaluate it using the following criteria: 
(a)  Comprehensive Plan: The Comprehensive Plan & any other applicable, adopted planning studies or        
reports. 
(b)  Current Conditions: The current conditions and the character of current structures and uses in per district. 
(c)  Reasonable Use: The most reasonable use for which the land in each district is adapted. 
(d)  Property Values: The conservation of property values throughout the planning jurisdiction. 
(e)  Responsible Growth: Responsible growth and development. 
 

The petition is forwarded to the County Board of Commissioners with a favorable recommendation, an  
unfavorable recommendation, or no recommendation.  The County Commissioners consider the zone 
change at a public hearing and may enact the zone change. 
 PRSRT STD
BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
OF NORTHEAST
U.S. POSTAGE
INDIANA

PO Box 861 PAID

1400 Wohlert St. PERMIT 52
Angola, IN 46703

ANGOLA, IN 46703

Membership Meeting Tuesday February 8

BANI Office in angola, Indiana

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