Four members of the Alexander City Council and Mayor Crystal Herrmann discussed three topics at a workshop held Thursday, April 2. Council members present were Joy Gray, Angela Griffin, Amy Lyons, and Christopher Prowse. No one from the general public attended the workshop.
Discussed were the posting of permits, the construction of fences and inspections.
How to post permits
Problem – Currently, posting permits is already required but there are no standards as to how and where to post a permit so it is visible.
“Because people right now either put it like up on the porch or in the window or they don't have it posted at all,” Herrmann said. “And then if they do have their permit, they're really upset that somebody in the field (police) didn't automatically know they had their permit.”
Police officers are now watching for code violations, including construction activity. The Mayor will be purchasing what’s called outdoor real estate brochure boxes to be used to hold permits. They have legs that can be pushed into the ground.
It was agreed this added requirement can be amended to the existing permit fee ordinance, which was adopted in 2020. It will include instructions to place the box at the end of the driveway.
Council members agreed on a $50 deposit. Herrmann suggested keeping a “percentage” of the deposit for processing costs. Five dollars was mentioned.
Building a fence will cost you more than just the fence
Problem – Under the current permit fee structure the ordinance states, “Fence Over 6 (six) Feet High … $25.” It does not require a permit for all fence construction. There’s no approval process to show the new fence is within the property lines and underground utilities are located. Acceptable fencing material is also not specified.
“And now having active code enforcement through with the (police) officers, we can have them (property owner) stake it like we do with their storage buildings,” Herrmann said. “We tell them to stake it out where it's gonna be and then we can have somebody drop on, you can confirm that it's not in the utilities (easement) but it's within reasonable setbacks.”
Besides where to build a fence, what material to use is also a concern. Herrmann says she’s been getting complaints about one property that has wooden pallets being used as a fence.
“And these examples I'm giving are actually being used in the city, the pallets,” Herrmann said. “I do get complaints about the pallets. Also another fence. There's also another fence that's old roofing panels.”
Council Member Joy Gray suggested keeping it “simple,” while allowing for multiple types of fence styles.
“I think if you keep it simple and you know, wood, chain link or what's the vinyl?” Gray said. “[B]ut you have to verify that it's on your property.”
Later Gray clarified when she said “wood” she meant wood specifically designed to build fences.
“And if we want to put a height, whatever, I don't have strong feelings about that,” Gray continued. “But I mean, I don't think we need to get into like POA (Property Owners Association) level of rules”
When all of these requirements are included in an ordinance, property owners will have to bare the additional cost of a survey of the property and providing a drawing showing the property lines, utility easements and location of the new fence. The repairing of a fence will not be included.
Herrmann noted that having a police officer deliver the final notice for compliance is getting more reaction than a code enforcement officer was getting. She said one homeowner, whose house is nearly completed, came in for the permit when an officer hand-delivered the threat of legal action. The penalty for not having a permit is double the cost of the permit if received prior to beginning construction.
Inspections to be done by third-party
Problem – The City of Alexander does not have its own building inspector. Under current zoning, utility companies are responsible for inspections prior to making any connections. In every zoning category it states, “Inspection shall be made as required by each authority having jurisdiction during the construction of all ... units to be located within the City of Alexander or within subdivisions regulated by the City.” Mayor Herrmann wants new construction inspected by a third-party paid for by the developer or property owner.
“So as of right now that you know larger cities actually have staff that go in and do the various phases of construction (inspections),” Herrmann began. “Smaller cities, which I know of Shannon Hills, Bauxite, multiple other small cities use third-party inspectors that the permit holder is responsible for the fee for their inspections.”
Aside from inspecting used manufactured homes before allowing them to be brought into Alexander and inspecting lot lines and setback requirements, Herrmann says it’s up to utilities to satisfy themselves of a proper connection.
“Because as of right now we tell the homeowners when they come in that they have to get their own inspections but the city has nothing to do with their inspections unless it's a (used) mobile home that's fixing to be pulled into the city,” Herrmann said. “[T]here's no inspection other than checking, we'll have them stake out their setbacks for the hall or the building or whatever but there's no other inspections. So if Entergy is okay with it they will just plug them in and if the water department feels free they'll just cut the water on but that doesn't mean it was properly built.”
One problem mentioned was a lack of proper compaction of the earth, for the new structure or manufactured home, to keep from sinking. In many cases a bulldozer is used to do some “compacting” but no testing is done for consistency.
“So from start to finish they'll have the various inspections that they'll need to get passed by the inspector,” Herrmann continued. “And do we issue the occupancy (permit)? Yes. So once all of this comes through that it's cleaning clear then we can issue (occupancy permit).”
It’s expected, to make this change, the zoning ordinance will have to be amended to include the requirement of an independent building inspector paid for by the owner of the building permit.