City council OKs zoning regs update, welcomes Butler as new city attorney
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tim Butler was introduced as the new Bardstown city attorney at Tuesday’s meeting. Click to enlarge.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 1 a.m. — New fences under seven feet in height will soon no longer require a permit or inspection prior to their construction. That was one of the changes approved at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Bardstown City Council.
The council held first reading on two recommended zoning regulation changes. The first eliminate permits for fences under seven feet; the second allows accessibility improvements — like wheelchair ramps — to encroach on lot front and side setbacks without the need for the property owner to apply for a variance. Improvements would still require a zoning compliance permit.
The second and final reading of the changes will take place at the council’s April 14 meeting.
CITY ATTORNEY. Opening the council meeting, Mayor John Royalty introduced Tim Butler as the new city attorney.
Butler told the council he hopes to provide the quality legal advice his predecessors have. “I have 35 years of government service of one type or another,” he said. “I do not have or want to have any experience in politics.”
Butler promised to provide legal opinions based on his experience. He said he prefers operating in collaboration and in finding common ground, reducing conflict and bringing people together.
PROPERTY TAX REFUNDS. Chief Financial Officer Mike Abell advised the council that the city will be refunding property taxes paid by Flowers Foods. The company was promised they would not have to pay property taxes for five years following the completion of their bakery. However, the company did pay the property taxes for the first five years, and the city owes the company a refund. “It’s due and we’re going to pay it,” he said.
Abell noted that the city’s 2004 ordinance that exempts new industry from property taxes is poorly written and needs revision. The ordinance allows the exemption for any industry that locates in the city, and does not give the council the power to truly use it as an incentive, he said.
Bardstown City Councilman Bobby Simpson speaks with new City Attorney Tim Butler prior to Tuesday night’s meeting. Click to enlarge.
GAS TAX IMPACT. Abell noted that past and future reductions in the state’s gasoline tax is reducing income to the state road fund — and that reduction is hitting close to home.
The cuts mean that the city is likely to have $75,000 less money for street repair and paving next year, which represents about a 25 percent reduction, he said.
CITY BILLING CYCLES. The council approved Abell’s request to change the billing-related ordinances in order to add a third billing cycle to the city’s utility billing system.
The majority of city customers — 9,000 — are billed on the first of the month, and another 4,500 on the 15th of the month. “We can even out our workflow if we take the cable-only customers out and bill them on the seventh of the month,” Abell said.
In other business, the council:
— approved a certificate of appropriateness for new signage at Cafe Primo, 120 North Third St.
— welcomed Boy Scout Troop 721 to the council meeting. The scouts were there in order to fulfill a requirement for Scouting’s “Citizenship in the Community” merit badge. The troop is sponsored by the First Christian Church and led by Scoutmaster Jon Snow.
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