Road detachments cause vacancy issues

After the Lone Grove City Council approved the detachment of several roads from the city, a council member who lived in the detached area resigned. Another council member also quit, leaving the city to fill two vacancies. 

Former council member Chad Mansfield and former Mayor Carl McCutchen represented Wards 1 and 2. While the city discussed appointing individuals to fill the vacancies Monday during a special meeting, the item was tabled due to some lingering questions. 

Mayor Jeff Matthews said he had someone in mind, but the person did not live in either ward.  However, since the wards are in the process of being re-structured, and since it is a temporary appointment, he said he wasn’t sure it mattered what ward they were from anyway. 

City attorney Lee Card said state statutes say a person filling the vacancy must meet the same requirements set forth when filing for election. However, he could not find any information about a temporary appointment dealing with re-structured wards. 

Council member Butch Kinslow said until the attorney looks into it, he wanted to table the item. 

The council also tabled appointments to fill the vacancies on the planning and zoning board. Seats 3 and 4 are vacant due to the detachment of roads, as well. The item was tabled until the council has a list of names to choose from to fill the seats. 

A rezoning issue was heavily discussed at the regular meeting, as well. Property owner Wayne Strader requested rezoning his property at 5187 Meridian Road from C-3 to C-4. C-3 is general commercial district, C-4 is highway commercial district. 

The city building inspector and code enforcement officer, Donnie Collins, told the council that Strader was told when he bought the property in 1984 it was zoned as C-4 and he had been renting it out as such. It wasn’t until 2.5 years ago he found out it was C-3 zoned, Collins said. 

Charles Strader, Wayne’s son, spoke to the council Monday night, telling them large trucks used the property as a hub. There was a potential renter that Wayne had to turn down because of the zoning issue. If it was re-zoned, Charles said there would likely only be a truck there once a day or once every two days. 

“Semi-trucks came in and out of here all the time and nobody said anything,” Charles said. 

Kinslow said he thought it would be better to amend the C-3 zoning, rather than rezone to C-4 that way there are limitations for future potential use of the property. 

“There’s a lot of stuff in that C-4 that we really don’t want down there,” Kinslow said. 

The item was ultimately tabled until further discussion is had with Wayne Strader. 

After four months of discussions with property owner Bob Pinkerton regarding property owned at 129 Broadway St., Matthews said the property was finally cleaned up. 

“He took care of it,” Collins told the council. 

Matthews said the city has had similar conversations with Pinkerton in the past due to dilapidated housing on his lots. 

Last, but not least, city council approved the 2016-2017 budget with some additions for ammunition and training for the police department and the hiring of either two, part-time employees or contract labor. The part-time employees or contractors are options being considered to make up for the loss of work the offenders at the Carter County Community Work Center did for the city.