BZA elects officers for 2025 and schedules February workshop on rules and procedures

The Michigan City Board of Zoning Appeals completed its reorganizational items Jan. 14, electing officers for 2025 and scheduling a procedural workshop in February.

Board members nominated and elected Ricky Jackson as chairman by unanimous roll call. Deborah Vance was nominated and elected vice-chair by unanimous vote, and Kathy Stransky accepted the appointment to serve as secretary as allowed by the zoning ordinance (Section 28.03) and staff guidance. Legal counsel Steve Hale clarified that the ordinance permits the chair to appoint a secretary and that the secretary need not be a board member; the board nonetheless appointed Stransky at the meeting.

Planning staff proposed and the board voted to schedule a public workshop on Feb. 11, 2025 to review state statute and the Michigan City zoning ordinance, clarify roles and procedures, and consider adopting formal rules of procedure (staff suggested Robert’s Rules or a similar framework). The board took a vote to hold the workshop after the regular Feb. 11 meeting; members were told the workshop will be noticed publicly and the public may attend.

Chairman Jackson opened the meeting, conducted roll call and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Members requested that future motions and seconds be stated with the speakers’ names for clearer minutes. Board members asked staff to circulate statutory excerpts and draft procedural items in advance to make the workshop productive.