Todd Kuhns on City Council

At last week’s study session, the City Council discussed a proposed ordinance to begin the Certified Local Government process. This is a recognition program that certifies that we wish to pursue historic preservation and have taken the steps to establish an historic preservation process with standards and guidelines overseen by a Commission. Codes Administrator Brad Selby has been developing the guidelines. The Council unanimously agreed to move forward on this.

Ultimately, we would end up with a Historic Preservation Commission that would nominate or recommend properties to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then City Council for historic designation. Construction standards for these designate properties would then have to meet the appropriate standards for a historic structure.

Implementing this program will have a financial component including the costs of the initial public hearings and appropriate training for members of the Commission, plaques and markers identifying the designated properties, and informational resources. But the Council believes historic preservation is important enough to warrant that.