(A) Application procedure and requirements.
(1) Following approval of the preliminary plat, the applicant, if he wishes to proceed with the subdivision, shall file with the Planning Department an application for final approval of a subdivision plat. The applicant must apply for final subdivision approval within one year of the date of preliminary subdivision approval. The application shall be made on forms provided by the Zoning Administrator, and shall include the following:
(a) A check made out to the city for an amount of the final subdivision plat application fee, as determined by the City Council.
(b) A minimum of 15 copies and one mylar of the final plat as described in these regulations.
(c) A minimum of 15 copies and one mylar of the site plans described in these regulations.
(d) A statement indicating the formal offer of dedication, including a full covenant and warranty deed to all such lands in proper form for recording, together with a title insurance policy for the local government in a sum which shall be determined by the City Attorney.
(e) Endorsement of other authorities. The final subdivision plat shall include a statement of endorsement by the County Department of Public Health with respect to all sewer and water facilities and that the same comply with all rules, regulations, and requirements of the local governmental bodies, state, and national authorities. Additionally, the plat shall include statements from appropriate county and township authorities that the plat complies with the requirements of that authority, and is approved for recording as provided for herein. The plat must also be signed by any other applicable agencies exercising jurisdiction, such as FEMA, HUD, IDOT, County Soil and Water District, or other authorities.
(2) Additionally, the final plat must comply in all aspects to the preliminary plat, including all changes and conditions necessary for City Council approval.
(B) Final plat document requirements. The final subdivision plat shall be presented in India ink on tracing cloth or reproducible mylar at the same scale and contain the same information, except any changes or additions required by the City Council, as shown on the preliminary plat. The preliminary plat documents may be used as part of the final subdivision plat documents if those documents meet the requirements provided herein, and are revised in accordance with City Council requirements. All revisions should be completed by the professional land surveyor who prepared the original documents, and all revision dates must be shown as well as the following:
(1) Notation of any self-imposed restrictions, and restrictive covenants to be filed with the final subdivision plat.
(2) Endorsement of the County Department of Public Health, appropriate township and county authorities, and appropriate utility companies, as provided for above.
(3) Lots, parcels and blocks numbered by consecutive progressive numbers.
(4) All monuments erected, corners, and other points established in the field in their proper places. The material of which the monuments, corners, or other points are made shall be noted at the representation thereof or by legend. The legend for metal monuments shall indicate the kind of metal, the diameter and length of the monuments.
(5) A final plat showing the final dimensions and layout of all lots, streets, and other information, and shall be stamped and signed by a professional land surveyor registered by the state.
(6) A full set of site plans, stamped and signed by an engineer registered by the state, setting forth the proposed final engineering and design of all infrastructure and streets and roads proposed to be installed by the developer; the final topography of the site, shown to two foot contours; and any other final site information as may be required by the City Engineer or Zoning Administrator.
(C) Staff review. Following final plat application, the Planning Department and other appropriate officials of the city shall review the final plat application for completeness and compliance with the requirements set forth by the City Council. In the case of any deficiency on the part of the application, the Planning Department shall inform the applicant in writing. If the applicant does not correct the deficiencies outlined by the Planning Department in time for City Council review at the desired meeting, the staff may hold over the application until such a time as when the deficiencies have been corrected.
(D) City Council review and approval. The City Council shall review the final subdivision plat application within 60 days of the official submission of the final subdivision plat application, or the last required plat documents, whichever is later. The City Council, without further public hearing, shall approve or deny the final subdivision plat. Upon approval of the application, the plat should be signed and recorded according to the procedure set forth in this section.
(E) Performance guarantee. Before the final plat is signed and recorded, the City Council shall require the applicant to post a bond, place cash in an escrow account, or otherwise prove financial ability to complete the project as proposed to the satisfaction of the City Council and according to the following requirements:
(1) The performance guarantee shall be of a necessary amount, as determined by the City Engineer, to assure the completion of the required street, sanitary and lot improvements to the satisfaction of the City Engineer. The performance guarantee shall comply with all statutory requirements and shall be satisfactory to the City Attorney as to form, sufficiency and manner of execution.
(2) If a bond is posted, the bond shall be held until all of the required public improvements are completed to the satisfaction of the City Engineer. At that time, the bond shall be reduced to an amount determined by the City Engineer to be sufficient to guarantee the satisfactory installation of the remaining lot improvements and the maintenance of the required public improvements until the dedications of the public improvements have been officially accepted.
(3) Upon satisfactory completion of the required lot improvements as determined by the City Engineer and the Zoning Administrator, and upon acceptance of the dedications set forth in the final plat, the required bond or escrow account shall be fully released by signature of the Mayor and attested by the City Clerk.
(F) Signing and recording of plat. The following shall be the required procedure for the official signing and recording of the final plat:
(1) The Mayor, City Clerk, Zoning Administrator and City Engineer shall endorse approval of the final plat upon satisfactory posting of the required bond and satisfactory completion of the conditions of the resolution approving the final plat.
(2) It shall be the responsibility of the surveyor to file the approved final subdivision plat with the County Recorder of Deeds office within 30 days of the date of signature. Any agreements of dedication and any other documents as may be required by the City Attorney shall be filed simultaneously with the final plat.
(G) Sectionalizing major subdivision plats. Prior to granting final approval of a major subdivision plat, the City Council may permit the plat to be divided into two or more sections and may impose such conditions upon the filing of the sections as it may deem necessary to assure the orderly development of the plat. The City Council may require that the performance bond be in such amount as is commensurate with the section or sections of the plat to be filed and may defer the remaining required performance bond principal amount until the remaining sections of the plat are offered for filing. The developer may also file irrevocable offers to dedicate streets and public improvements in the sections offered to be filed and defer filing offers of dedication for the remaining sections until such sections, subject to any conditions imposed by the City Council, shall be granted concurrently with final approval of the plat. In the event of approval of sectionalizing, the entire approved subdivision plat including all sections shall be filed within 90 days after the date of final approval with the City Clerk and such sections as have been authorized by the City Council shall be filed with the County Recorder of Deeds. Such sections shall contain at least 10% of the total number of lots contained in the approved plat. The approval of all remaining sections not filed with the County Recorder of Deeds shall automatically expire unless such sections have been approved for filing by the City Council, all fees paid, all instruments and offers of dedication submitted and performance bonds approved and actually filed with the Recorder of Deeds within three years of the date of the original final subdivision approval of the subdivision plat.
(Ord. O-93-01, passed 1-25-93)