The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 30, 2008

Enid City Commission to review controversial potential ordinances

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer

Enid city commissioners will review two controversial potential ordinances during their regular study session tonight.

Commissioners will discuss increasing fines for cleanup-related violations and also will review a proposed ordinance on how many vehicles can be parked at a residence. The study session will be 5 p.m. in the lower-level conference room at the city administration building, 401 W. Garriott. The regular meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. in the first floor commission chamber.

At their June 17 meeting, commissioners discussed a proposed ordinance that would limit the number of cars that could be parked at a residence based on the size of the lot, availability of an alley and amount of hard surface on the lot. According to Planning Admin-istrator Chris Bauer’s plan, residents with a lot measuring 50 feet by 150 feet with no alley access would be limited to three vehicles. If an alley is available, a hard pad could be put in the back yard for additional parking.

According to the proposed ordinance, vehicles would not be allowed to be parked on the grass in the rear of a residence. Vehicles parked at a residence could be whatever the resident chooses, including recreational vehicles.

Also during the June 17 meeting, commissioners discussed how to better enforce cleanup ordinances and discussed in-creasing fines for cleanup-related violations. City Attor-ney Carol Lahman was asked to re-search the issue and have a report prepared by today’s meeting.

Neither of the issues will be discussed in executive session and are not listed on the regular meeting agenda so they cannot be voted on.

On the agenda for the regular meeting is an resolution to appropriate $300,000 from the Enid Economic Development Fund to Bank of Oklahoma for debt repayment for construction of Advance Food Co.’s expansion project.

In 2005, Enid Economic Development Authority created a Tax Increment Finance district to help Advance with construction costs. Debt repayment begins today.

The resolution to be considered would add $300,000 to the repayment schedule for fiscal year 2008-09. Incremental ad valorem taxes from plant construction paid by Advance are remitted to the Garfield County assessor, who remits the money to EEDA.

EEDA has an unencumbered fund balance of more than $2.3 million.

The EEDA sold bonds to Advance to finance the im-provements.

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