(KLZA)--Following discussion by the Richardson County Commissioners with Highway Superintendent Steve Darveau Jr., Assessor Kim Riggs and County Attorney Samantha Scheitel last week, the Board approved a motion to move on with the process to update the County Comprehensive Plan and meet with the County Planning Commission to start the process to adopt and implement zoning regulations.

Third District Richardson County Commissioner Rick Karas requested the discussion be held last week due to actions that have taken place southeast of Humboldt with a planned chicken production facility.

Karas and Highway Superintendent Steve Darveau Jr. met with the developers about upgrades to the county roads leading to the site of the proposed facility. After being informed Richardson County would not pay the costs to upgrade the roads to meet the requirements for heavy loads to and from the facility, Karas was told the facility would not be built at that site.

Just over a week ago, Karas was informed that a number of pieces of heavy equipment to be used in construction of the chicken production facility was hauled across a county bridge with a 6-ton load limit.

Karas said he was disappointed in the actions by the developer going behind the County's back.

After the equipment was moved in, Karas and Highway Superintendent Steve Darveau Jr. shut the bridge down so no more heavy equipment could be moved across it and possibly damaging the bridge.

The majority of Nebraska's 93 counties have zoning regulations in place. Karas noted that Richardson and Nemaha counties in Southeast Nebraska are two of just five counties in the state without zoning regulations.

Karas told MSC News that his proposal is mostly to protect county infrastructure and the citizens in rural areas from having facilities built next to them they don't want.

Karas feels that zoning would give the County more control and that it would be a good idea for things such as chicken production facilities to be built near hard surfaced roads.

Karas also told MSC News that bringing up zoning in Richardson County at this time, has nothing to do with the proposed bio-based production facility south of Falls City, that plans to utilize ethanol to create bio-based polypropylene pellets used to create automotive components and other manufactured goods.