Pontotoc Aldermen adopt rubbish, debris ordinance

At the November 15 meeting, Pontotoc Aldermen unanimously adopted a rubbish and debris ordinance.

According to the newly adopted ordinance: "WHEREAS, any rubbish and/or debris from any house building, new construction and/or remodeling, whether it be personal service or professionally done, including but not limited to, replacing flooring, carpet, roofing, plumbing, etc. shall be removed by the home owner or the contractor. No rubbish or debris of any sort shall be placed on/near the road for the City to pick up. It is the sole responsibility of the home owner and/or contractor to remove any rubbish, debris or left over materials from his/her property. Said debris shall be removed within seven (7) days of the action causing the debris. And that;"

"WHEREAS, it shall be the duty of all homeowners, renters, landlords, and/or persons living in the home to dispose of or otherwise remove all tree trimmings, limbs, tree bases/trunks, and other related tree debris that was cut, trimmed, or otherwise altered by a contractor, tree trimming service, and/or any other person hired to trim trees at their residence. Said debris shall be removed within seven (7) days of the action causing the debris."

"The main thing is for residents to understand that the responsibility of disposing of large amounts of rubbish or debris rests with the homeowner," Mayor Bob Peeples emphasized. "If someone is contracted to cut it and it's piled by the curb, the homeowner is going to have to pay for the city to remove it. And if it's left for seven days the homeowner will be in violation of the Clean Up ordinance and a citation can be served."

"The city will still remove small amounts of limbs or debris that's cut and put on the curb by a homeowner, but nothing major. If there's a question, call city hall before it's put out by the curb." 

In other old business, Mayor Peeples and the board discussed the need for renovating the interior of the city hall building, especially in terms of public access. 

Mayor Peeples recommended hiring an engineer to make plans and specifications for the work needed. 

"I would like to hire an architect to draw up plans, especially in terms of limiting public access to areas of the building and getting some doors installed," Mayor Peeples told the board. 

Alderman Jeff Stafford said he would prefer to wait on preparing plans until after the new fire station is built. 

The city has already secured some grant monies to build a new fire station on Reynolds Street and have applied for additional monies to complete the project. 

"I would rather focus on the fire station, not rush, and advertise for an architect later," Stafford said. 

Alderman David Anderson said he would prefer to table a renovation motion until the fire station move is closer at hand and plans can be developed to include the current fire station footage in any renovation plans. 

No action was taken by the board on the renovation issue.

In a new business matter, the board voted unanimously to contract with Greg Roberts Fire Hydrant Repair and Supply LLC for fire hydrant maintenance for the amount of $40 per hydrant per year as needed. 

Pontotoc Fire Chief Lance Martin said the company will inspect all 537 of the cities 537 fire hydrants and get their location on a GPS tracking system. 

"They will inspect and test all the fire hydrants, grease them all, see what repairs are needed and do a city wide hydrant flush," Martin said. "It will determine if any of the hydrants are inoperable."

In another matter, the board voted unanimously to pay Patton Construction in the full amount of $44,485.00 for a Highway 15 sewer project which will accommodate the new Zaxby's Restaurant in Pontotoc. 

"At first we were going to tie in the line out in front of the building but there was too much infrastructure in the way, so we had to put in  a main line, not just a service line," explained Mayor Peeples. "If it had just been a service line Zaxby's was going to pay a portion of the cost."

In other business, city officials said they were notifying West Reynolds Street resident Norma Holmes that she would have to pursue other avenues in remedying flooding problems at her residence. 

"The gas and street departments went out and looked and her property is very low," Mayor Peeples said. "She has a problem with flooding but it was not caused by anything the city's done out there."

Other new business items passed included:

-purchasing three additional garbage receptacles for the First Choice Bank Gateway property;

-set a public hearing for January 3, 2022, for possible rezoning of property owned by Jack Savely at 244 Highway 15 south from C1 to R8;

-set a public hearing for a proposed medical marijuana ordinance for December 6; officials will be addressing hours of operation and zoning restrictions in relation to distances from schools, churches and daycare operations in case the proposed medical marijuana issue to sell and grow marijuana inside the city limits passes in the December 15, 2022, special election; qualified voters inside the city limits of Pontotoc can vote for or against the proposal on December 15;

-passed a motion to change from Guardian to Principle Insurance Company as the provider for dental and vision insurance, which is paid by city employees; 

-approved the transfer of Rafael Vidonna from the city fire department to meter reading ;

-approved transfer of Wesley Heatherly from meter reading to the gas department.