Code enforcement plan makes headway

By NICOLE CARTRETTE

Tearing down dilapidated buildings will be easier for the city soon.

Whiteville may declare housing unsafe in targeted community development areas and demolish the structures under the same process used for nonresidential buildings, under a bill that passed both the House and Senate Wednesday.

The local bill will not require the governor’s signature and will become law as early at tomorrow.

City council adopted a resolution May 9 asking for special legislation to shorten the appeal process and expedite the removal of dilapidated structures.

However, Sen. R.C. Soles said the request did not arrive at his office in time to be introduced under local legislation deadline rules.

Therefore, the measure is tacked on to a bill dealing with local law enforcement’s use of ATVs in various municipalities and counties.

Soles said he wrote a letter to council informing them that the request had been received too late, but later found a way to add the provision to the existing bill.

“We found a way to amend a bill and change the title,” Soles said. “We put two different subjects into one bill.”

Former City Manager Susan Rhodes had told council earlier in the year that demolition of homes well below minimum housing code could take a year or longer under current law.

Rhodes anticipated the process would take only 60 to 90 days with the new legislation.

Hope Mills and Fayetteville requested similar legislation.

In other legislation:

Landfills

House Bill 1093 was amended in a Senate committee. Yesterday the committee reported in favor of the bill that provides for an 18 month moratorium on new landfills in the state.
If the bill becomes law, it will have no effect on landfill permits issued before June 1, 2006 as it is written.

Courts

The act to establish county resident district court judgeships and divide the superior court District 13 (Columbus, Bladen, and Brunswick) was enacted into law July 11. The law becomes effective October 1, 2006.

A bill titled the “Omnibus Courts Act” has emerged from a senate committee. The bill authorizes the collection of court fines and fees by credit and debit cards. Electronic filing in trial courts is authorized and a permanency mediation program is established for juvenile neglect cases, among other provisions in the bill.

Precincts

A bill pertaining to Columbus County precincts is being reviewed in committees on both the House and Senate side.

The proposal would allow all residents of the Town of Lake Waccamaw to vote at the same precinct and use a traditional precinct line along the boundary of the old Black Creek school district.

The local board of elections requested the legislation after several voters requested they be allowed to vote at precincts where they had voted for years.