BY JOHN REED LEADER EDITOR
KNOX — Terry Stephenson has resigned as Starke County planning administra-tor/building inspector and his resignation sends a signal that all is not smooth and peaceful as the county begins a new era in building construction.
“I would like to list inconsistency as my reason for leaving,” Stephenson said. He said that explaining the reason in detail would take “pages and pages.”
He left the post effective Friday, April 13.
Stephenson’s resignation comes at an awkward time: the county is just embarking on an entirely new era, with builders now required to register, post bonds and construct houses according to building codes. One builder found out the hard way what this means: he built the foundation incorrectly, and Stephenson made him tear the house down and start over.

“I was so excited about the whole deal. We finally got into the 21st century,” he said.
Stephenson emphasized that the new programs establish a “level playing field” for contractors. “Now they can make a bid on a project, knowing that everybody else is going to have to follow the same standards. We got rid of th fly-by-nighters, the shoddy contractors, the guys who underbid everybody else.”
Stephenson said that contractor registration is going well, with 84 already signed up. Building permits also are soaring, with 122 already issued, “well ahead of last year.” There are 35 more permits issued already this year.
Several sources said contractors are upset that he is leaving.
Stephenson said part of the problem was promises made that were not kept. He said that when the county was in the process of adopting the package of building code and inspections, he was told there would be an increase in pay. That didn’t happen, he said.
He also expected an increased office force and said there is plenty of money generated by the new fees to cover those expenses.
In line with those increased fees, he said some contractors are grumbling about what is happening to the money being generated.
For example, contractors pay $50 to be registered with the county. So far, that has generated $4,200 for the county.
Likewise, building permit fees have increased. With 122 permits so far this year, the monetary gain is significant. Stephenson said he issued one permit for $365 which would have been $125 a year ago. By the end of March, the Plan Commission had taken in $14,432.70. The total for all of 2006 was $31,417.
Contractors aren’t questioning the amount of the fees, but where the money is going, he said.
All fees collected go into Starke County’s general fund, the primary county funding account. No fees go directly to the building/planning department and Stephenson said that officials haven’t increased spending for the department, even though his workload as administrator/inspector doubled and so did the amount of office work required.
The county council must approve all spending. The Plan Commission now must choose a new administrator/inspector.
“I hope they can find somebody whos qualified and not on the take,” Stephenson said.