Aldermen Table Decision To Revise Code

Gainesboro Aldermen will further study the idea of a revised zoning code for the city.

Aldermen Tom Goetz and Deborah Whitaker said they were not ready to vote on the revised zoning code. Aldermen voted to table the decision. Whitaker said she had read the revisions multiple times and still did not understand it.

“Well we have walked in on the end of it and I know people have been working on it are probably very familiar with it,” Whitaker said. “This is not casting aspersions or saying there is anything wrong with it, I’m just saying I really don’t understand it yet and I would like to not vote for something I don’t fully understand.”

The aldermen agreed to review the revised code together at the next work session. Goetz said the aldermen will have to remember that the revised code requires a codes inspector, which the city does not currently have.

“Either we are going to have to hire one or we are going to have to farm it out one way or another,” Goetz said. “So the financial part of that is a concern of mine that I don’t think we have addressed. I have no idea what you would pay an inspector for the city and they would have a huge amount of work to start with but once they get going I think it would tinker back off.”

Goetz said he has questions about whether the city could afford an inspector and if so how would the city pay for one. Gainesboro Mayor Lloyd Williams said getting an inspector is not easy to do.

“Just to be totally honest we have been trying to get a codes person for ten years,” Williams said. “We’ve come close, somebody’s doing it part-time and someone comes in when we need them to do whatever and we’ve had names and we’ve talked to people but it’s fallen through.”

Goetz said he would not want to pass code that sits many years while the city never gets an inspector.