Marion County Commission approved a final plat Oct. 31 to allow Gary Dunnegan to split his property at 71 Lakeshore Drive at Marion County Park and Lake into two lots.

Dunnegan already has a home on part of the property. He requested the lot split with the intention of building another house on the second lot. Construction has already begun following the approval, Planning and Zoning Director Tonya Richards said Thursday.

The commission denied a request from Ed Riffel, 15 Lakeshore Drive, to put a temporary carport within the road right of way along Pioneer Court, behind his home.

Tower permit approved

The commission was notified that a conditional use permit for a communications tower at the new jail was approved by the City of Marion. The tower must not be taller than 45 feet.

In other business:

• County sales tax receipts for October were $56,571 not including the tax to finance the jail — a 4.4-percent increase from the same time in 2011. Tax receipts for the first 10 months of 2012 are $484,011, an increase of 1.0 percent.
• Sales tax receipts for the jail were $50,169 for October, an increase of 4.3 percent from the same time in 2011.
• County Attorney Susan Robson, County Clerk Carol Maggard, and County Appraiser Cindy Magill met with the commission in closed session for 15 minutes to discuss matters protected by attorney-client privilege. No action was taken on return to open session.
• Health Department Administrator Diedre Serene met with the commission in closed session for 20 minutes to discuss personnel. No action was taken on return to open session.