Members of Meade County Fiscal Court received several comments from residents regarding a proposed vacant property registration ordinance during a special called meeting Wednesday (11/9) night.
The “soap opera” topic was debated once again during the meeting as magistrates attempt to place a mechanism which will provide the county leverage to assist in the clean up sightly vacant property. County leaders have been working to find a resolved and a balance between a ordinance which will hold property owners accountable for the up keep of their curb appeal and tipping the scale of becoming a meddling government body. Magistrates adjusted the language of the ordinance just before the approval of the it’s second reading.
Among the stipulations of the ordinance, it requires property owners of only vacant property to register the property within 45 days from when the receipt of the property deed. Owners would have 30 days to bring the property to neighborhood standards. A registration fee of $60 would be required of the owner each calendar year of the registration date. The Court added a “sunset” statement which would force the ordinance be expire on December 31, 2018 at the end of the current term of Fiscal Court. The court remove the clause at a later date or would force newly seated magistrates to craft on a similar version or renew the same ordinance through the standard process to implement ordinances. Judge Executive Gerry Lynn said that he had spoken with the three largest banks in the community, which agree and provided input for length of turn around time periods for the deeding process.
After a half hour of conversation from members of the audience and the court members, Fiscal Court voted 5 to 1 approving the second reading of the ordinance which will become law once it is published in the local newspaper.
In other business, the court approved the pay scale and hiring of Sherry Vowels as the billing clerk for the Meade County EMS. Magistrates approved the appointment of Tracy Huffines, Noel Pack, and Janet Hobbs to the Meade County Extension Board. They also approved the Sheriff year ending December 2015 audit and a payment of $46,974 to the State Auditor’s Office for audits of the Detention Center Canteen Fund and standard audit of the county’s finances.
Magistrates approved a recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission to grant a rezoning request in Garrett from a R-1 to B2 for 1.2 acres of land at the intersection of Highways 313 and 1238 for a proposed retail store. At the beginning of the meeting, Lana Goodwin, Community Engagement Chair, for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network spoke to the court and received a proclamation naming Wednesday (11/9) as World Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day in Meade County.
You can watch the entire meeting of the Meade County Fiscal Court in our “On Demand” section.
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