Published: June 09, 2009 09:35 pm      

Orange council looks at ordinances

Orange city council members during a meeting on Tuesday took a look at amending several ordinances on the books.

One such ordinance was to notify property owners within 300 feet of a proposed zoning amendment to be notified by certified mail. The previous ordinance read property owners would be notified by regular mail if they were within 200 feet.

City officials agree property owners would benefit with the certified mail since it serves as a better line of communication to ensure they are informed.

Also considered was adopting an ordinance requiring administrative review after six months if a business does not respond so that other businesses will be given the opportunity to open in the location. If the owners of the business do not follow through with plans within six months, the case will brought back before the planning and zoning commission for review.

Council members also consdered an oridinance to abandon a portion of 8th Street to 575 feet north of Rein Avenue to the Cooper’s Gulley right-of-way. City officials plan put up a barricade which can be removed as needed and meets state requirements. A property owner at the site was having “severe” problems with parking and people “cutting through” on the property.

The council passed a resolution amending the agreement with J&D Construction for annexation contract 7 which increased the $1.8 millon dollar contract by $71,154.

Orange public works director Jim Wolf informed the council he did not anticipate any additional changes to the contract. He added that while working on the project they discovered the sewer system was not working correctly during periods of heavy rain. To help alleviate the problems, they added larger water lines and manholes. He also said any improvements will help for future growth.

“When completed we will be done for a long while,” Wolf said.

Following a closed executive session, it was announced the city will purchase the property located at 207 9th Street for $5,000.

In addition, it was announced the Moss and Water Streets will be leased to the shipyard. A property owner in same area intends to sell her property and the shipyard will need the streets for access. City manager Shawn Oubre was authorized to negotiate the price.

After a lengthy discussion, council members voted to table action on raise fees for water and sewer connections and taps. They will also consider raising deposits on delinquent utility billing. City officials initially were going to bring the issue to the council in Oct. 2008, but wanted to wait until the area was “somewhat recovered” from Hurricane Ike.

To determine the new fees, a survey was conducted of area cities such as Groves, Port Neches and Pinehurst to compare charges. They discovered the fees in Orange which had not been changed in about nine years were overall lower than surrounding cities.

If approved, the fees will not affect people in the annexed part of Orange. People who have their water cut off, could face a larger deposit in order to have it restored.

Oubre advised citizens to be aware of a free hazardous waste and scrap tire collection event. It is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the parking lot of Bridge City Intermediate School at 1029 West Roundbunch Road in Bridge City.

During this free event, the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission collects items that could pose health and environmental risks if disposed of improperly. They will accept household hazardous items including; paints, cleaners, antifreeze, car batteries, used oil, insecticides, swimming pool chemicals, mercury and much more.

Also collected are scrap tires at no charge for the first eight tires. A cash disposal fee of $1 is required for each additional tire.

Materials not accepted during this event include pesticides or herbicides containing 2,4,5-T-Silvex with the exception of quantities less than five gallons. In addition, explosives, compressed gas cylinders, fertilizers or nutrient materials that are neither hazardous nor contain pesticides admixtures, and pesticide or wood preservatives containing pentachlorophenol will not be accepted.

For more information about items accepted during this event call 409-899-8444 ext. 6603.



Debby Schamber is a reporter for the Orange Leader. She can be reached at 409-883-3571 ext. 2603 or at dschamber@orangeleader.com.