Supervisors reverse zoning ruling

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Supervisors reverse zoning ruling

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

The Marshall County Board of Supervisors voted to reverse a zoning ruling approving a building permit for a Barton resident. The man’s neighbors complained that he had too much noise and traffic they believe is connected to his home business.

District 3 Supervisor Keith Taylor said he is in favor of citizens being allowed to become entrepreneurs - that lots of businesses start out of a home.

The Barton man apparently had tried to obtain a building permit for a second time at the zoning board, after receiving a permit and letting it expire.

Some of his neighbors believe the man wants to construct a 12,000 square foot building to expand his business operations.

Supervisors discussed the matter and complaints during the March 20 board meeting.

“My problem is we don’t need to have people coming up here every week (to complain about zoning matters at the board of supervisors meeting),” Taylor said.

Taylor said he believes residential areas should remain residential and commercial areas should stay commercial, and that when a business gets too large to be operated out of the home it should be moved out of the subdivision into a commercial building.

Taylor said he felt the matter should have been handled differently at the zoning board.

He said it is easier to see and hear what a neighbor is doing in the winter.

“I’m willing to go through zoning and let the system work first,” he said.

Supervisor Willie Flemon said he is in favor of the public appealing a concern directly before the board of supervisors.

The matter came up for a vote and supervisors unanimously voted to deny the man’s request for a building permit without the applicant present.

Taylor said his district representative on the zoning board had been absent at the zoning meeting when the businessman’s construction permit request was taken up.

Taylor and District 5 Supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett both concurred that their representatives should be at the zoning board meeting before a matter in their respective districts is voted on.

Taylor said the zoning board had voted to give the Barton man a permit without his representative present.

“I would like to go further and check to see if all the ordinances are being followed,” said Taylor.

He said he wanted to see if the Barton man’s heavy equipment was damaging subdivision roads.

The matter has been scheduled on the agenda for the April 3 board meeting, according to zoning director Conway Moore.

Road reports

In other business, the board heard reports on road work. County engineer Larry Britt said he would meet with the contractor responsible for a mile of construction on Strickland Road to see what can be done about vehicles getting stuck in that section of road when it rains.

Supervisor Keith Taylor explained that the work on Strickland was begun before winter set in with the contractor agreeing to keep the road in passable condition during the rainy season. Citizens were set to meet with the contractor and supervisor to resolve the issue last week.

Supervisor George Zinn III asked about problems on Hernando Road near the intersection with Rolling Fields Lane where a culvert is stopped up. Water is coming across the road when it rains.

Britt said the road would have to be raised to keep water from standing because there is no drainage ditch and the water backs up into a pasture then runs over the road.

Supervisor Willie Flemon asked for help with water backing up in a yard on Beck Springs Road.

Other matters

In other business, the board of supervisors:

approved renewal of insurance policies covering law enforcement and public officials after a discussion of premiums and benefits with Bob Carrington. The public officials insurance policy bonds all elected officials and members appointed to boards and the 911 commissioners.
heard a presentation from Carl Overton who offered to audit the county’s telephone bills for cost-cutting savings.
- Overton said counties and private residents often pay for services they don’t use or for improper (high) tariffs. He will provide the audit free for 25 percent of refunds the customer is entitled to, he said.
- Training of staff will be provided so that after one year, the county will know how to audit its own phone bills.
- “We look at all contracts to make sure they (the phone service providers) do what they agreed to do,” Overton said.
- Overton asks for 50 percent on future savings on phone bills he brings to the county.
- The board voted to table the matter until the board attorney studies the matter and makes a recommendation.
heard a request from Environmental Engineers Inc., to construct a cell phone tower at Malone, Miss., at Callicutt Road south of Waterford. The board approved a letter to the company from the Chancery Clerk directing the company to take the request up with the Zoning Board.
authorized the lease of two cars for the sheriff’s department and the purchase of two commercial washing machines for the jail.
approved a motion allowing zoning to require business licenses for home businesses. The licenses will cost $20 at Zoning and $20 for annual renewal at the tax collector’s office.
discussed advertising relative to the theft or vandalism of street and road signs.
listened to a report from Conway Moore, regarding animal complaints.
- Moore said neighbors had complained about the odor where 40-plus dogs were chained at a location on South Red Banks Road.
- Zoning also visited the Cayce and Barton communities to investigate dog complaints and found no actions were required, Moore said.
- Problems had been corrected, she said.
discussed a problem of dumped tires.

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