Lincoln Village Community Meeting

Lincoln Elementary School, 05/26/2005 at 6:30pm

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 30^TH at 6:30pm

Meetings will be held the last Thursday of every month at 6:30pm at Lincoln Elementary.

MEETING MINUTES

This was the 6^th Lincoln Village Community meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to share information about the status of our community and the services that the city provides to our residents.

Guest Presentation: Michael Gray, Community Development

Office Phone Number: (256) 427-5400 Director’s E-mail: galloway@ci.huntsville.al.us

Mr. Gray gave out copies of all of the ordinances that are currently enforced by Community Development. He then went over the “Top 8” in detail. **To report possible violation of these ordinances, call 427-5409.**

“Top 8” Ordinances Enforced:

1. Junk, Litter and Inoperable Vehicles – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12, Article IV

• Concerns the storage of items on private property.- both residential and commercial

• Items must be stored in an approved, enclosed, non-transparent structure

• Visible Building Materials must have an active Building Permit.

• Inoperable vehicles (including vehicles with flat tires or without current license plates) are given 30 days on private property or 24-hours on public property to move

2. Grass and Weed Ordinance – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 27, Article III

• Grass must be kept below 8” in height in neighborhoods – this includes vacant lots in neighborhoods

• Owner given 14-day notice to cut; after 14 days, City will cut the grass and bill the property owner

• Unpaid bills will be liened on house/property; after 3 times, assessed against property tax

3. Standard Housing Code – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7, Article V

• Sets minimum standards for residential structures designed for human habitation

• Misdemeanor summons for in-state residents (out-of-state residents will not be extradited for a misdemeanor offense); warrant for arrest issued for out-of-state residents

• Public Nuisance = 70% or more deteriorated; City can demolish and bill property owner

4. Non-Residential Building Minimum Maintenance Code – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7, Article VI

• Sets minimum standards for buildings used for purposes other than residential.

5. Standard Unsafe Building Abatement Code – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7, Article VII

• Applies to any structure with unsafe conditions; Includes vacant structures that are open/accessible

• The structure cannot be occupied until all unsafe conditions are corrected

6. Snap-Lock Refrigerators and Containers – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22, Article II, Section 22-35

• If items are accessible to children, locking mechanism or door/lid must be removed.

7. Drop Box Receptacles – Code of Ordinances Chapter 17, Article I, Section 17-5: You can’t have them.

8. Swimming Pools – Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14, Article V: If you have one, keep it clean/maintained.

Taking Action: The Lincoln Mills Community

Since many of our residents will be going on summer vacation with their families, Officer Hollingsworth handed out two items of information:

• Road Rage – A flyer on how to identify and avoid Road Rage
  Download the Road Rage document

• Vacation Tips – A brochure on how to secure your home while you are away
  Download the Vacation Tips document

What’s Next

OUR NEXT MEETING IS WITH OUR CITY COUNCILMEN, MR. MARK RUSSELL AND MR. RICHARD SHOWERS. We need a few things from YOU to prepare for this meeting:

1. Your block captain will be collecting a list of “neighborhood concerns,” and will present the top two (or three) to the councilmen. Be sure you get your input by talking with your block captain before June 20!

2. To show our support of our neighborhoods, we need AT LEAST 50 residents at the meeting!! Bring your neighbors to the next meeting!

We need Block Captains! If you are interested, call Kimberly Cockrell at 426-4079 (before 9:00PM, please).