Residents of a small neighborhood off Lee Highway complained to the City Council on Tuesday night about a nearby tire business they say has been causing swarms of mosquitoes.
The business is owned by Randy Johnston, current register of deeds candidate in the Republican primary. Attempts to contact him for comment were unsuccessful.
He was in City Court's Environmental Docket on Thursday, but the case was passed until just after the primary election. A neighbor said City Judge Sherry Paty postponed the case after an attorney said he had just been hired by the business owner. Mr. Meadows said he and neighbors were there to testify.
Glen Meadows told the council that the neighborhood at Silverdale Road and Sonya Lane "has had a really bad mosquito problem" since Mr. T's Used Tires opened and began storing hundreds of tires outdoors.
He said he noticed the problem when he built a couple of homes in the neighborhood. "It's unbelievable," he said.
Mr. Meadows said he concluded the mosquitoes were breeding in the tire lot "where there are a large amount of tires uncovered and out in the open."
He said on one occasion he stopped his truck to pick up some litter and left the door open. He said when he got back inside there were 30-40 mosquitoes in the truck. He said he was getting bit so much he was unable to drive off.
He said the tire store was summoned to City Court, then the case was dismissed.
Later, he said the neighbors were told the store "was moving, then they said it wasn't. Then we heard that it is grandfathered in."
City Attorney Wade Hinton said that issue was researched and he does not believe it is grandfathered in.
The city in May of 2016 tightened its ordinance on tire storage to deal with such issues.