Used car lot moratorium up for a vote in WM council chambers next month

Used car lot moratorium up for a vote in WM council chambers next month

City wants to put a hold on new operations until a growth plan can be developed

news@theeveningtimes.com

Consideration of the West Memphis Public Works Committee’s recommendation to suspend issuing new occupancy permits to used card dealers ran a course through the city government over the past several weeks.

Under the commission’s direction, the Planning and Development Department drafted a one-year moratorium and subsequently presented it to commissioners.

The board thought the new business ban swept too broad a scope of automotive businesses and declined passing the moratorium after a thorough discussion and a unanimous vote.

City Council representatives seated on the Public Works Committee had hoped to curtail the opening of more unsightly used car businesses for a 12month period while a new comprehensive growth and development plan was being drafted addressing related regulations, such as open display requirements, overall zoning, municipal codes and building standards.

The month-long process culminated with the West Memphis City Council receiving a modified Planning Commission recommendation and Mayor Bill Johnson asking for public input to help the council decide which road to take to clean up junk around many used car lots.

“For the record, the fact that you accepted the recommendations does not mean you approve them,” said Johnson to city council. “If you receive any feedback let us know so we can document it accordingly.”

The ordinance, sponsored by councilwoman Ramona Taylor and councilman James Pulliaum, detailed a wide array of new motorvehicle- related businesses that would be stopped from opening until the new development plan could be finalized in the fall of 2019.

The measure was titled, “An ordinance granting a 12 month moratorium on the issuance of any new certificates of occupancy for used automobile related businesses including auto O’Neal said that the county can put a lien on the property, but if the property is forfeited to the state by the owner and it goes back to the county, it becomes the county’s responsibility to take care of it.

“The state gives the land back to the county, but the county would be responsible for insurance, back taxes, and cleaning up that property if it came back to us,” O’Neal said. “We don’t need vacant lots to be the county’s responsibility.

So we are looking in to alternatives to that as well.”

Tax Collector Ellen Foote said even when there is a lien put on for grass mowing, the city rarely ever gets its money.

“If the property goes to the state and it’s not sold at auction, it is up for negotiation,” Foote said. “The first thing the state takes off is the grass cut liens so it can go back on the property tax rolls. We collect money for West Memphis, but they don’t get all of their money.”

Justice Vickie Robertson agreed that the county needs to toughen its ordinances.

“I’ve lived next to a lot where the people didn’t want to cut their grass,” Robertson said. “It’s horrible keeping your property up and then your neighbors look like they live in a jungle.”

Wheeless said the county did pay Deese once to go out and spray the property, but the county isn’t going to pay to mow private property.

“That helped alleviate it some,” Wheeless said. But we don’t have the manpower to go out and mow these properties.”

O’Neal added that a lot of the trouble spots are owned by absentee landlords who just don’t care.

“A lot of it is people have passed away and given it to their grandchildren and kids and they don’t care anything about that piece of land in Crittenden County,” O’Neal said.

Wheeless told Deese that he would send code enforcement to check on the junk cars and a pile of tires. The Clean-Up Committee will meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Tax Collector’s office.

In other business:

• County Librarian Debbe Davenport announced that she will be retiring at the end of the year.

“I’m retiring and my husband is also retiring,” Davenport said. “It’s just time.

This is actually the second time I’ve retired. I retired about nine and a half years ago from IBM. I took this as kind of a retirement job that developed into the director’s job. I just want you to know I’ve so enjoyed doing the job and my time here working with the Court.”

The position has already been advertised and drawn several applicants.

• Wheeless told the Quorum Court that he is still working on getting a new phone system for the Health Department to lower the bill.

“I’ve got some quotes from AT& T to do something different,” Wheeless said.

Wheeless said it will cost about $40,000 to buy similar phones that the county has for the Health Department and Assessor’s Office. “The savings is not that much,” Wheeless said. “I was shocked. It’s actually going to take about eight years to break even. The phone bill only going to be about $400 a month less for all these places together.”

“A savings is a savings,” added Justice Vickie Robertson.

• The Quorum Court authorized leasing four new 2019 International dump trucks for $379,375.

“We’re turning in the old trucks we had been leasing and getting four new ones,” Wheeless said. “We’re already doing a lease with (BancorpSouth Equipment Finance). It’s all being done with the same corporation.”

• Justice Lorenzo Parker, who chairs the Personnel Committee, reported that the committee is recommending the county not allow department heads to go above the 12 percent raise allowance for a job title during the year when hiring personnel.

“We want to make sure we’re not just adjusting salaries randomly,” Parker said. “Any adjustment needs to be made ay budget time. If we do anything other than what the standard says, it causes a ripple effect and every department wants to come in and adjust salaries based off of the other department head’s adjustment.”

“I agree with you,” added Justice Albert Marconi.

“We should do it one time — at budget time.”

Parker also announced that the committee has finished the revised personnel manual and would like to get a vote to approve it next month.

“I’d like to applaud everyone for their effort,” Parker said. “We got it done as a group and I think the changes we made are going to be positive for all employees.”

By John Rech