BC home with livestock brought to council's attention

David Ball - For The Record

When residents move from the country to town there are some things that need to be left behind the city limits. Livestock for instance.

Some concerned citizens who live on Gum Street addressed the Bridge City City Council at their regular meeting on the evening of September 1 during citizen comments about one of their neighbors fencing in their front yard and holding some goats, chickens and rabbits.

Mike MacCammond lives two houses down from the home. He said the residents moved in about six months ago and have since added the livestock and the "ugly fence."

"It will devalue the neighborhood," he said. "You have the smell and the sanitation problem. And goats, with their temperament, small kids could be in danger being around them. If the city doesn't have an ordinance y'all need to see what can be done and stop this kind of thing. What will my appraisal be when others see it (his home). Y'all raise taxes and then I turn around and I lose value."

MacCammond said Precinct 3 Constable Mark Philpott has started procedures on the situation.

Paul Harbert lives next door to the house with the livestock.

He said the owner told him she would fence up a few chickens. He said the next thing he knew was there were rabbits inside the fence and goats eating things.

"If I wanted to live in the country I would be around that. If she only came and talked to us," Harbert said.

He added the goats are messy and they can't keep the yard clean.

Another resident, Daron Randolph resides on Charles Street. He was concerned about an apartment complex to be built on Texas Avenue between Charles and Kibbe Streets.

He said he was told by workers at the site there would be no fence around the complex as it was previously state it would be. Also, he heard there would be a detention pond built behind the complex that would drain off in the ditch and may cause flooding.

Another concern to him was Boogie's Express Car Wash because they have too many lights on at night and it's too bright at his house. There is also a buzzer that periodically goes off early in the morning that sometimes wakes him up and also loud music playing from vehicles at the car wash.

Randolph said there's a noise ordinance in the city and maybe the car wash post signs stating so.

The council approved an ordinance amending previous ordinances by increasing the water rate by $.50 on minimum usage and increasing the water rate to $3.25 per thousand gallons usage on usage from 3,000 gallons to 50,000 gallons.

A public hearing was held regarding the proposed ad valorem tax rate for the 2015 tax year for the city levied as follows:

$.22640 per $100 valuation- Interest and Sinking Fund

$.27280 per $100 valuation- Maintenance and Operation Fund

$.49920 per $100 valuation- Total Tax Rate

The council will vote on the ad valorem tax rate at their meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15 at city hall.

City Manager Jerry Jones gave an update on various projects occurring throughout the city.

Bids will be open for the lift station upgrades on September 8 and the bid awarded on September 15.

Bids and the award will be determined on October 6 for the water filtration system.

Dirt is being hauled for the new police station to be built behind RaceWay filling station at Rachal and Texas Avenue. Councilman Eric Andrus asked if the building plans for the station have been completed. Jones said the plans are still being corrected but there is still time because there is much surface work to complete at the site.

Grass was removed for the splash pad near the public library.

Judy Cole and Skipper Nixon were reappointed to the Board of Adjustment for the 2015-2017 terms. Lucy Fields was appointed as one of the two alternates. One position still needs to be filled.

Josh Taylor was appointed to the Building Standards Commission and Jacklynn Phillips to the Library Advisory Board.

There are still openings that need to be filled on these boards and committees in addition to the Planning and Zoning Commission. For those interested, contact city hall at 409-735-6801.

The council approved a submitted bid for the trust property at 537 Bland that was approved by the Orange County Commissioners Court.

Jones said the house was lived in briefly after the hurricanes but has since been abandoned. The structure has deteriorated to a point where it's uninhabitable.

The city will enter into a contract with the Bridge City Police Association from Oct. 1, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2016.

Jones said the officers will receive the same increase in pay as other city employees. Some of the language in the contract was cleaned up too.