The Minden City Council will discuss a variety of topics in a workshop Thursday morning, among them procedures for sidewalk repairs.
Mayor Tommy Davis says the city pays up to 50 percent of sidewalk repairs throughout the city’s neighborhoods, and they are running into problems getting the homeowner or business owner to pay their portion.
“In the past, we’ve paid up to 50 percent of the sidewalk repairs,” he said, “and if we change it, it would give us the authority to charge them for it. In the past, we’ve gone and fixed somebody’s sidewalk for them and we pay our half, but they never pay their half; and we end up paying their half.”
If the changes are made, then this would allow the city to put a lien on the homeowner’s property, he said. A lien, as defined by law, is “a right to keep possession of property belonging to another person until a debt owed by that person is discharged.”
Davis says the city owns very few sidewalks, which means a homeowner or business owner is responsible for repairs to the sidewalks that run through or in front of their property.
“Even in downtown, most of the sidewalks belong to the property owner,” he added.
Also up for discussion is the city’s sign ordinance. Davis says Impressions Advertising Specialties is requesting to erect a billboard sign at 718 Homer Road, in the vicinity of Minden Seafood, and he wants to discuss it with council members to see if the ordinance needs to be changed.
“We have an ordinance against big billboards except on your business,” he said, “and he wants to put up a billboard sign out there.”
Impressions Advertising Specialties is located at 903 Shreveport Road.
Council members will talk about adjudicated property procedures. Davis says they are looking at changing some dates to give the buyer a little more time to get affairs in order to purchase the property.
“Right now, the ordinance says you have five days, and we may want to change that to say ‘five business days,’” he said, “because if we take a bid on Friday, Saturday and Sunday count in the five days. But if we say ‘five business days’ then that will give them all the next week to make a deposit on it.”
Changing the time of the monthly council meetings will be discussed as well. Currently, the city council meets at 7 p.m., the first Monday of each month, and they will talk about changing the time to 6 p.m., he said.
If the council members are agreeable, then the time change will be up for a vote on the next agenda in December. It would go into effect at the first of the year.
Proposed new construction at 102 Broadway Street, the location of the old Mobil station, is also on the workshop’s agenda. Davis says some new construction requests will be considered.
The power supply contract will again be on the agenda, because, Davis says, the city is paying too much for electricity.
“That’s one of the things we’re trying to correct is the cost of our electricity and we’re just going to talk about that,” he said. “Our cost is up and we’d like to get it down.”
The workshop will take place at 9 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Pelican Conference Room at Minden City Hall and is open to the public.