By Terry Schrimscher, For the Tribune
ARGO – The Argo City Council met for the second regularly scheduled monthly meeting Monday night, April 24. The Council moved through the lengthy agenda quickly in the work session prior to the regular meeting.
Early in the meeting, Mayor Betty Bradley read a letter of resignation from council member Dusty Stinson, who stepped down from his seat effective April 17. Bradley declared the seat open and told The Tribune the city would be appointing someone to fill the position.
“We will be appointing someone because we still have two and a half years left,” Bradley said. “I don’t think it would be fair to the public to not have that seat filled.”
The Council renewed an existing ordinance that places a temporary moratorium on the addition of mobile homes, manufactured homes, modular homes and recreational vehicles within the limits of the city or on any land annexed into the city while the moratorium is in place. The ordinance does not place a limitation on recreational vehicles stored on a property with an existing residential structure.
The Council also approved an ordinance establishing the creation of a Board of Adjustments that will work alongside the Planning and Zoning commission.
In the public comments portion of the meeting, attorney Chesley Payne spoke on behalf of Argo to clarify some of the recent confusion about zoning in the city.
“No planning and zoning board, no board of adjustments is going to make any changes to the use of anyone’s property,” Payne said. “To have a property use changed under a zoning ordinance, the property owner themselves are required to come by the zoning board and file an application. You have to request it to be done.”
Many residents have expressed confusion about sample zoning maps on display online at www.argoalive.com. The sample maps were also shown at the public hearing held at City Hall on April 18. Representatives from the consulting firm of Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) led the public meeting and said actual zoning could only be established by the zoning commission.
“Anything you’re currently using it (property) for, whether it be a farm, whether it be a store, whether it be an industrial plant, so long as you are in compliance with what the current use of the property is and what the current zoning qualification is, you don’t have to come ask anybody’s opinion,” Payne said.
“Having said that, if you’ve got a farm and one day you are approached by a developer who wants to buy your farm and wants to put a huge residential subdivision on that property, and they offer you so much money you can’t turn it down,” Payne added, “you would have to file an application with the planning and zoning board for that to occur.”
Local resident June Mack spoke during the comments to offer insights on ways to communicate better with the public to avoid future conflicts and misunderstandings.
“I really think a lot of people are frustrated because they feel like they don’t have a voice,” Mack said. She addressed the council on some of the language in the city’s master plan and said it caused a lot of the confusion that has divided people over the issue of zoning. Mack said everyone should make a stronger effort to communicate effectively and build a consensus on issues.
“If we don’t have those voices on the front end, we’ve got this kind of problem on the back end,” she added.
In other business, the Council approved the following:
- Donated $1,000 to the Springville High School Softball team
- Approved $824 for a local government software update
- $240 for a graduation ad in The Trussville Tribune
- Approved the hiring of Braxton Layton as a police officer
- Approved sending Layton to the police academy
Members of the Springville High School Softball team were on hand to thank the Council for the $1,000 donation. The team recently moved into first place in class 5A and will host a regional tournament next week.
Keith Strickland spoke on behalf of GMC to confirm an agreement with the city to use grant funds to begin the next phase of development on the turn lane from Highway 11 onto Argo Margaret Road, which is expected to ease some of the afternoon traffic along the busy corridor.
The next meeting of the Argo Council is scheduled for May 8, at 5 p.m.