New PCB ordinance requires neat property exteriors
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Panama City Beach City Council adopted a building maintenance ordinance that would require property owners to keep up the exterior of their properties, and it also approved the first readings of utility hookup rate changes at a Thursday council meeting.
The council approved ordinance 1469, which creates building maintenance requirements for the outward appearance of homes and buildings
The ordinance mandates exterior walls should be painted and not chipped or discolored. Roof repairs and replacements should be finished, and other standards. Repair work should be painted to resemble the color of the space around any repair patches, according to the ordinance. Shutters, mailboxes, windows and doors should all be secure, and sidewalks and driveways should be free of debris. The law also mentions rust deposits, dirt, and screen enclosures.
The ordinance also states violators should pay $25 or $50 per week.
Officials created the ordinance to keep up the beautification of the beach.
In addition, the council approved the first reading of changes to impact fee rates. At an August meeting, Public Resources Management Group (PRMG) delivered a presentation that suggested the water utility service impact fee drop by $38, and the wastewater utility fee increase by $1,359. The current water utility fee is $1,176 and the current wastewater fee is $1,630.
Impact fees are designed to support growth-related capital costs, and the one-time fees apply to new or expanding developments.
Panama City Beach gets all its water from the county’s system.
Bay County’s water impact fee is $710 and its wastewater fee $2,103. Panama City’s water impact fee is $1,046 and its wastewater fee $1,250.
The fees have not been updated since 2000. A 2007 study was completed, but city officials did not enact the updates because of the recession.
The updated rates will go into effect 90 days after final adoption.
In addition, the council motioned to approve the first reading of an ordinance that would raise sewer and reclaimed water rates by two percent.
PRMG finished a utility rate analysis in 2016 that offered suggestions for the next five fiscal years. No increases were enforced fiscal year 2016-2017, and potable water rates went up one percent and two percent for sewer and reclaimed water this fiscal year, per the study’s suggestions. The third year of the study is approaching, and PRMG suggests no increase in potable water and a two percent increase in sewer and reclaimed water rates.