Signal Mountain Council Deals With Unimproved Roads, Farm Animals

  • Friday, May 26, 2017
  • Gail Perry

The Signal Mountain Town Council discussed several citizens’ requests at a work session Friday afternoon - including issues of unimproved roads and farm animals.

 

Carolina Avenue in Old Town was platted in 1913 before the town of Signal Mountain existed. The road stops but the unimproved right-of-way continues and around five houses surround it. Since 1984, three homeowners have received permission from the town to build driveways through the space to get access to their homes.

Now the owners of those lots are asking the town to pave the right-of-way for servicing the driveways. It is the town’s position that it is not a roadway, said Town Manager Boyd Veal. There are 13 other sites where the same situation exists, he said, and this could set a precedent. Developers build roads that conform to the town’s specifications and then the city just maintains them, said the city manager.

 

People are making their own improvements, said Susan Wilson, the owner of a lot at the end of the right-of-way, even though they do not own the property. She asked the council what rights those owners have. Town Attorney Phil Noblett said because there is no deed or owner of the land, it should be taken to the planning commission to decide how the lots can have access. It will be discussed at the June 1 meeting of the planning commission at 6 p.m.

 

Another request made by a resident is that street parking not be allowed, unless there is room for a vehicle to pass it without crossing the yellow line. This effectively means that the road would need to be four lanes wide, said the city manager, and only James Boulevard would qualify. That would mean no street parking would be allowed anywhere in the town, he said, and would be problematic for houses that have no driveways. That plan is not really feasible, said Mayor Chris Howley. Mr. Noblett read the current parking ordinance and it was decided that there are enough parking provisions in place. Mr. Veal said the town would try to do a better job of enforcing the existing laws.

 

Signal Mountain has a designation of Residential Estate Zone that can be applied to property of three or more acres, which allows the owner to have a few large animals. It is the closest thing in Signal Mountain to agricultural zoning, said the city manager. The zoning laws, however, make it almost impossible to have the animals because of the many restrictions. The matter surfaced when some property owners wanted to have goats. Mr. Veal took the issue to the planning commission which concluded that the restrictions did not make sense. Currently, only horses and goats are allowed, but a permit can be applied for a variance to have other animals. The town already has a nuisance ordinance that should prevent problems while allowing people to keep several animals, it was stated. No action was taken at the Friday meeting.

 

User fees were amended on second and final reading for the community swimming pool. Daily passes were set at $7 for children older than six. The charge for children under six and adults over 65 will be $5. Season pass rates are $200 for a family, $110 for an adult and $100 for children 12 and under. Additional cards for non-residents will be required in addition to those base charges. The pool non-resident weekly pass is $20. Instructions at the pool for both those living in and outside of the town limits will be $80 for two weeks and pool parties will be $90 per hour for both. The pool will open on Saturday.

 

Progress is continuing by the school viability committee, said Councilwoman Amy Speek, the town’s liaison to the group. Chairman of the committee John Friedl has said answers to the questions being researched are about 50 percent done. He expects to have the study completed by mid-August, and hopes to make a presentation by early fall. In the meantime, the committee has sent a list of “questions for the town of Signal Mountain,” to be answered by each council person. After reviewing them, some are based on questions that have yet to be answered, or assumptions that are not true, said Mayor Howley. The council will ask the committee to revise the list to omit those questions. Each person on the council will answer the questions in writing and will submit them to the city manager who, along with the city attorney, will review and compile them into a written report. The council will be given the report to review before it is sent to the SVC.

 

A contract was authorized to provide dental insurance for the town’s employees. It will cost $27.40 per month for an individual and $80.80 for a family. The contract renewal is for 18 months.

 

City Manager Veal reported that the paving project on James Boulevard and the replacement of the Shoal Creek Bridge are both moving forward. Repairs being made to the water and sewer lines are already underway and will be finished before paving is done. It should be completed by late summer, he said. There still is a problem with one resident for granting a temporary easement for work on the bridge.

 

While the town waits for Hamilton County to provide the certified tax rate, the 2017-2018 budget cannot be completed. The council voted to approve a continuation of the 2016-2017 budget until the new rate is received.

 

Also approved on Friday was an amendment to the 2016-2017 budget in order to appropriate money for unexpected expenses that occurred during the year.

 

 

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