Three hot topics caused some major debate at the February 13, 2018 meeting of Fairfield City Council.
The main item of contention was whether the City should adopt a new ordinance amending the utility fee schedule to add a base rate for multiple family water accounts.
This amendment, as currently worded, would cause multi-unit housing, such as apartment complexes and RV parks, to be charged one base rate per occupied unit as if it were a home (at commercial cost) rather than simply one base rate. Depending on how many units are occupied each month, the increase could be substantial.
Mary Jean and John Alford, owners of Primrose RV Park, located on Highway 84 at Post Oak Rd, attended the meeting to voice their concerns.
“I have been reaching out to city water departments far and wide asking how they charge RV parks for their water service,” Mrs. Alford explains. “The resounding answer is… by one commercial master meter, as it is currently done here.”
Last year, the RV park used a total of 216,200 gallons of water for an annual cost of $2,357.54.
“It is our position, as evidenced by our water usage, that Primrose RV Park does not overly burden the City’s water supply,” Mrs. Alford states. “Treating our RV Park as if it were a subdivision and charging each occupied space as if it were a home, at commercial rates, is not a fair representation of our business or our use of your water resources.”
She concludes, “This amendment is outside the bounds of what is normal and will affect our ability to compete. We ask the Council to reconsider their stance.”
Each council member spoke up, agreeing that the ordinance should apply to apartment complexes and permanent structures, but not to RV parks. They voted to table the item until the amendment can be reworded to reflect this change.
Another topic of debate was a request from several residents for assistance to allow the burning of wooden material due to the destruction of a dilapidated home on property in their possession.
“There are several folks trying to comply with cleaning up their properties,” explains City Administrator Jeff Looney. “They all have good intentions, but every time we have allowed someone to burn on their property, it ends up being a mess. Last time we allowed it, they didn’t remove some items and it became an environmental problem.”
Councilman Kenny Hughes voiced his opinion, “I can’t see how we can allow people to burn inside city limits and take on the responsibility for possible environmental hazards. We need to sit down and discuss how we can help these people. We have a responsibility to keep our city clean.”
After much debate between council members, Mr. Looney, and Director of Public Works Clyde Woods, the issue was tabled until further discussions can be had and an official burning ordinance is put into place.
The last major discussion dealt with a request from the Moody Bradley House to use Hotel/Motel tax funds on renovations at the Moody Bradley House.
Melinda Bonds with the Fairfield History Club spoke to council saying, “The house has a lot of safety issues that need taken care of. Some electrical work, repair work of lots of rotten wood, and repainting needs to be done. Because it has to be historically correct, we have to use a carpenter that specializes in historical recreation and that can custom mill the pieces. The total cost for all of this would be $59,387.”
“We ask the council to re-consider our request from August,” concludes Mrs. Bonds.
After twenty minutes of back and forth discussions, council approved the use of $10,000 that was already budgeted for the Moody Bradley House to get the electrical work done and to begin the specialized wood work.
They agreed on having a special workshop to brain storm ideas on how best to prioritize the work based on safety issues; and if they will budget any more funds to assist in getting the repairs done.
Also at this meeting, Council unanimously approved the following agenda items:
–Minutes from the January 9th & 23rd council meetings
–Bill register as of January 31st
–Order for the 2018 election for City of Fairfield to fill the positions of Mayor and council, places 1 & 2
–Agreement with Limestone County for the use of election equipment for the 2018 election
–Agreement with Fairfield ISD to conduct a joint 2018 election
–Ordinance for voluntary annexation of 75.458 acres of land owned by the FEDC
–Updated Use of Force policy for Fairfield Police Department
–Conducted Electrical Weapons Use Policy for Fairfield Police Department
–Reappointment of Andy Awalt to the FEDC Board of Directors
The next Fairfield City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 27th beginning at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend.
