The Sulphur Springs City Council passed on first reading an ordinance amending the city zoning ordinance regarding billboards at a meeting Tuesday night. City Manager Marc Maxwell said the new ordinance severely limits placement of billboards to highways. Billboards can’t be within 2,000 feet of each other and the ordinance limits the size of the billboard. The ordinance will have to be approved on its second and final reading next month to take effect.
In other business Tuesday night, the Sulphur Springs City Council heard a glowing outside audit report on city finances and then accepted the audit. City Manager Marc Maxwell said the bottom line for him was that city reserves equal 25% of the city’s annual operating costs. The council also took the first step toward creating reinvestment zones for Clayton Homes and Ocean Spray. The council also called a May 9 election.
During public forum at the Sulphur Springs City Council Meeting Tuesday night, a man complained about a neighbor using his backyard as a bathroom because the home had no water service. City Manager Marc Maxwell said the city was beginning to focus on problems like this, especially with the adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code. 60 new cases of property being allowed to deteriorate were filed last month.
