House and Senate at odds over bill that would make it harder to appeal zone changes

The Kentucky House rejected changes to a bill Wednesday that would make it harder for citizens to appeal zoning changes.

House Bill 72 would give judges discretion to set a bond for parties who are appealing a zone change case from circuit court to the Kentucky Court of Appeals. That bond could be up to $100,000. For those appeals a judge deems to be without merit or frivolous, the bond could be as much as $250,000.

The Senate made two changes to the bill before passing it Tuesday: one removed an exemption for churches and another set further requirements for the appeal bond.

The House rejected those changes and sent the bill back to the Senate to see if they would agree to the bill as it originally passed the House. If the Senate refuses, the two chambers can appoint a conference committee that would attempt to negotiate an agreement.

Supporters of the bill say it will help prevent frivolous appeals while opponents of the bill argue that it will make it financially impossible for neighborhood groups to challenge commercial or residential developments in their neighborhoods.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 4:04 PM with the headline "House and Senate at odds over bill that would make it harder to appeal zone changes."