By Nathan Prewett
LEEDS – Among the actions of a meeting of the Leeds City Council on Aug. 16 was to approve a temporary, one-year moratorium on R-5 and R-6 zoning applications based on a request from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
Shortly after the meeting was called to order, Mayor David Miller announced that several employees of the Public Works Department recently contracted the COVID-19 virus and are currently in quarantine, leaving the department short staffed.
“Unfortunately that will have some impact on our ability to timely work with the Public Works Department,” he said. “We regret that but it’s not something that we can just go out and hire some people off the street to help out. We’d just like that to be public knowledge.”
Later in the meeting the council discussed the moratorium on the zoning categories of R-5, which is garden home district and R-6, patio home district. According to the resolution concerns have been brought up by the commission, citing a potential “burden” on the citizenry.
A copy of the resolution states that “there remains too many risks associated with high density developments to allow R-5 and R-6 zoning applications to continue without a period of suspension to ensure that these developments are in fact providing the intended benefits to the City or whether other regulatory safeguards can be implemented to control and to ensure that these intended benefits are realized by the City.”
The moratorium will allow the city’s government to study the applications and the impact that buildings in these categories would have on others. Miller said that examining them could prompt improvements.
“I guess the most significant change would be to allow or require and/or advise them to have an alleyway running behind the property’s much improved appearance and generally speaking most places now are going to that form of housing and we feel like it’s in the best interest for the property holders in Leeds to also require that type of [housing],” he said.
The resolution was passed unanimously.
“Anything before this moratorium going into place is still on the table,” said Councilman Johnny Dutton. “We have to address those issues. Going forward from tonight for one year there is a moratorium for R-5 and R-6.”
The council took questions from the public before turning to a bond refinance resolution. Miller said that the city was considering refinancing bonds “that were of a higher interest rate that is pervading at the moment.” He said that refinancing would allow them to take out bonds but keep the terms unchanged and not paying extra.
“We’ve done probably five or six bond refinances in this administration,” he said. “By lowering the rates that these various bonds have been financed at we’ve saved something over $4 million in public payments by being able to repay these bonds at much, much lower interest rates.”
Miller added that the rates were at a “historic low” currently. The resolution was passed unanimously. More details of the bonds can be seen on the agenda packet for the Aug. 16 meeting on the city’s website.
During reports from department heads, Developmental Services Department Brad Watson said that the federal decennial census results have shown that the Leeds population has passed 12,000 people. The 11-43-2(c)3 Code of Alabama requires that a city with this population number pass an ordinance to maintain the current government.
The council opted to keep the current government the way that it is, “exercising its legislative functions with both a Mayor and five Councilmen,” according to the ordinance.
Additionally, the council voted unanimously to grant $5,000 to the Leeds High School Band Boosters as it does annually. Miller added that the band has been invited to play at Carnegie Hall in New York next year. Municipal Court Magistrate Laura Roberts, who is president of the band’s board, later thanked the council and said that and still seeks funds – it will cost an estimated $200,000 – for the trip in April 2022.
In other business the council:
- Declared a property on 7432 Mississippi Avenue to be a public nuisance and an unsafe building,
- Declared a property on 7363 Mississippi Avenue to be a public nuisance and an unsafe building,
- Renewed the city’s agreement with St. Clair County regarding municipal inmate housing, and
- Approved an occupational tax refund request from a small business that had accidently overpaid its occupational tax fees.
Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.