Sulphur Springs City Council will be asked Tuesday, June 4, to consider approving an ordinance regulating scrap tires at local tire shops.
The ordinance would require tire shops to do three things: shield from public view scrap tires stockpiled at local tire shops prior to disposal and cover the stockpiles so rainwater does not build up inside the tire, and limit the number of tires a business can stockpile. Tires may be covered either by a building or tarp, according to Sulphur Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell.
“We’ve gotten a few operations in town where the tires keep piling up and don’t seem to be going away. We’ve focused on one of them recently and got them gone. We think that it’d be nice if we had an ordinance that set out the rules, so everybody knows these are the rules you’ve got to play by,” Maxwell explained.
At issue is public health and safety, according to the city manger and Sulphur Springs City Councilman Jimmy Lucas.
The matter was first brought to city officials’ attention last summer, according to Lucas. A member of his family at the time reported a mosquito problem at the home of a patient she cared for. Lucas said he checked out the matter and discovered there were numerous old, scrap tires on the property of a tire shop neighboring the residence.
“The problem is mosquitoes. A coupe of these operations are right behind residences. We’re trying to put an end to that,” Maxwell said.
Lucas said large mosquito populations are a problem for all, and he is especially concerned for the elderly.
Lucas said the number tires too would be limited, and the area shielded from the public as a means to prevent stacks from falling on any child who might access the area.
The tire ordinance proposal is on the June 4 City Council agenda for discussion and possible action.
