23 Oct October 23rd, 2017 Minutes
THE FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTIETH SESSION OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN
VILLAGE OF ALAMANCE
October 23,2017
Present: Mayor Tichy, Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe, Alderman Isley, Alderman Carouse, Alderman Jones,
Alderman Andrews, Mark Reich, and Clerk York
Absent: Alderman Tichy and Attorney Koonts
Mr. Reich opened the meeting with an invocation.
Alderman Tichy moved to approve the September 25, 2017 meeting minutes and Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe seconded. The motion passed 4-0.
Alderman Tichy motioned to go into a public hearing seconded by Alderman Andrews
Public Hearing – Zoning Text Amendment; To allow accessory structures to have a 10 foot side setback
Clerk York stated that the owners a piece of property in the ETJ zone wanted to build a garage but could not meet the 15 foot setback requirement. They are asking that the zoning ordinance be amended to allow for 10 foot setbacks. Heritage Glen and The Historical section of Alamance already allow for 10 foot setbacks while the ETJ zone and the R20 district call for 15 foot setbacks. This change would only be for an accessory structure setback. Clerk York recommends amending the ordinance instead of applying for a Variance. A Variance is usually extended due to hardship of the land because of a unique lot that the ordinance works against.
Amending this ordinance will give unity throughout the town for accessory structures. Mayor Tichy commented that making this amendment would put the Village in line with the county zoning. There were no public comments. Alderman Tichy motioned to come out of Public Hearing seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe.
Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to allow for 10 foot side setbacks for Accessory Structures.
Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe made a motion to amend the ordinance as presented, seconded by Alderman Tichy. Motion carries 4-0
OLD BUSINESS
Village Website
No updates. Tabled till next meeting.
Engineer Report
Mr. Reich stated that he has the contracts for the resurfacing work. He will give them to Attorney Koonts to review to insure everything is in order. The papers will need the signature of Mayor Tichy and Clerk York. Mr. Reich stated that he had spoken with the contractor and it would most likely be the first part of next spring before the paving work began.
The paperwork for the flood zones has been signed and sent off.
The placement for three way stop signs for Heritage Glen was discussed. Alderman Tichy had some suggestions for possible placement. Heritage Lane, Cornerstone, Liberty Drive and Brookstone are the ones with the most problems. Mr. Reich suggested that if only one three-way intersection was to be done it could be placed at Century Court or Cornerstone Drive. If two three way stops were to be placed, he would suggest Century Court and Liberty Drive. Mr. Reich would not recommend placing stop signs at Brookstone Drive or Heritage lane because of the proximity to Highway 62. He also would not recommend placing the signs at the Southern entrance of Freedom Drive or Brookstone Drive because of the proximity to Heritage Lane. He suggests possibly placing them at either the northern end of Freedom Drive and/or Midland Court. Londonberry Court is also a good option for placing a stop sign.
Mr. Reich suggests putting up signs with flags warning of new traffic patterns in advance of placing the stop signs and leave them there for a year to eighteen months. Mr. Reich stated that the residents of Heritage Glen should be informed about the possibility of these changes so that they can voice any concerns they may have.
Mr. Reich is still working on gathering information about re-doing the sidewalks.
Food Trucks and Restaurants as a Special Use
Clerk York hopes to have more information on this at the next meeting.
ORC Report
Mr. Allred reported that the Birch station is running well. The Pond station mixer is continuing to work well. There was an issue at the NC 62 station with some wiring that burned out but that has been fixed. Mr. Allred is collecting a variety of water samples through the town for the Bac-T water testing. This is being done to be compliant with state standards.
NEW BUSINESS
Voluntary Annexation Request by Russell and Judith Smith for 4522 Ashe Drive
Clerk York stated that Mr. and Mrs. Smith would like to be annexed into the Village. They have signed and executed the petition to be annexed, there is an ordinance that has to be prepared which the board will be voting on. A public hearing needs to be set and a public notice will need to be run in the paper. Mr. Koonts stated that the ordinance and plat would both be recorded in the register of deeds so that it can be added to the Village map and voter registration. A motion for a public hearing to be held at the next meeting was made by Alderman Andrews seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe. Motion passed 4-0.
Finance Report
Clerk York informed the audience about the fund balance information the board was looking at and that he could print off the same information for anyone that was interested. The fund balances include the cash fund balance, the expenses and revenues, and the budget for the year.
The general fund balance is approximately $1.343 million dollars, with one CD valued at $110,000.00 at First Bank. The water and sewer fund balance is approx. $282,775.00. The Powell Bill fund, for streets, is $211,605.00 and there is $500,000.00 set aside for various projects and improvements that are needed. Total cash on hand is $2,354,709.39
OTHER BUSINESS
No comment.
Public Comment
A comment was made from an audience member asking about placing a center yellow line on Heritage Glen roads as a means for helping traffic. Mr. Reich said he could check into that possibility, but there could be some draw backs to it such as getting a ticket if you cross the line. Parking could also be restricted on the sides of the road due to the amount of space needed to keep separate lanes.
Shawn Francis of 4578 Freedom Drive suggested using the Heritage Glen Facebook page to spread information or police the neighborhood about speeding or giving out general information. Mayor Tichy stated that it would be better to place certain things on the Village website when it is reestablished because it is not just Heritage Glen homeowners who have access to the Facebook page.
Mayor Tichy asked about the progress at Senecal regarding the cleanup. Clerk York stated that little progress had been made in the last month. Senecal is in violation of the zoning ordinance because they are using the property as a junk yard. The Board agreed to start a formal notice process against Senecal. Mr. Senecal will have 90 days to remove the “junk” from his property.
Peggy May stated that the resurfacing work that had been done in front of her house, 4508 Ashe Drive, was terrible. She also stated that speeding on Ashe Drive was a problem and a stop sign there would be helpful.
It was stated that Mr. Shackelford has a tarp over the roof of a commercial building and it looks bad. Clerk York stated that the roof did have a deficiency in it but that it was still intact. Mayor Tichy stated that the tarp had been there for a little over a month. A question was asked about minimum housing codes applying to this situation. Attorney Koonts stated that minimum housing code only applied to residential structures, not commercial properties. Clerk York stated that the Village does not have an ordinance against a tarp on the roof of a commercial building. Attorney Koonts advised that it would need to be regarded as a public safety issue if the Board wanted to pursue the owner of the building to have it fixed.
A comment was made from Jeremy Vestal of 4533 Alamance Baptist Church Road that the Village should begin moving forward establishing a website for the Village. Alderman Tichy made a motion for the Village to send out a request for proposals to develop a website for the Village, seconded by Alderman Andrews. Motion carries 4-0.
Alderman Andrews moved to adjourn and Mayor Pro Tem Sharpe seconded. The motion passed unanimously.