PLACE Forum

WEEK OF JULY 30 — MEETINGS & EVENTS

JULY 20, 2007 OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS COLUMN BY LISA BROUILLETTE
“City playing shell game with fire ratings”
To read the column, click here or to go: http://groups.msn.com/placecoalition/july202007columncityplayingshellgamewithfirerating.msnw.

ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE NOW
The City of Auburn is now accepting applications for absentee ballots for the 2007 Special Municipal School Tax Election to be held on Tuesday, August 28, 2007.
Applications for absentee ballots must be made in writing to the City Manager, either handed in person or mailed to 144 Tichenor Avenue, Suite 1, Auburn, AL 36830. Any person who is physically unable to stop by City Hall who wishes to vote absentee may call absentee election manager Earline Cobb at 334-501-7263 and she will mail an application form to you. As soon as absentee ballots are printed, (on or about July 12, 2007) they will be mailed to those persons who have filed proper applications.Applications for absentee ballots cannot be accepted after August 23 (5 days before the election), although the completed ballots may be filed with the City Manager up to and including Election Day, August 28, 2007. For more details, go to www.auburnalabama.org/news/2007/ocm071707.asp.

MONDAY, JULY 30 — LEE COUNTY COMMISSION www.leeco.us
4:00 PM — WORK SESSION; 6:00 PM — REGULAR MEETING
Held in the commission chambers, Lee County Courthouse, 215 S. 9th St, Opelika. Open to all.
Agenda includes:
Public Comment from Citizens: (limit of 3-minutes per speaker)
CONSENT AGENDA:
a. Minutes of Commission Meeting July 9, 2007
b. Ratify and Approve Claims
c. Announcement of Lee County Recreation Board Appointments/Reappointment-Judge English
OLD BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS:
a. Request County Resume Maintenance on Southern Portion of Lee Road 121
and Vacate Northern Portion of Lee Road 121 – Frederick Harold Foster
b. Objection to Foster Request Involving Lee Road 121 – Howard Foye Yeager
c. Volunteer Fire Dept funding request– Bob Schafer & Mike Gardner
d. Lee County Recreation (Beulah) Request – Jerry Southwell & Linda Hilyer
e. Authorize Grant Acceptance for Lee County Park at Smiths Station – Judge English
f. Report on Conferences – Commissioner Lawrence & Commissioner Harris
g. Budget Amendments – Roger Rendleman
Discussion Items. Adjourn.

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 3:00 pm — OPELIKA MAIN STREET FARMERS’ MARKET www.opelikamainstreet.org
Held at Opelika Main Street, South Railroad Avenue between 8th Street and 9th Street. All are invited.
Parking: available on North Railroad Avenue, along Railroad Avenue to the right and left of the market and up 9th Street.

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 4:00 PM — PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION / ANNEXATION POLICY
Held in the conference room, Development Services building, 171 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda: discussion of possible changes to the City of Auburn’s annexation policy
[Note: Next work session on annexation policy is Tuesday, Aug. 21, 4:00 PM.]

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 7:00 PM — AUBURN BIKE COMMITTEE
Held in the conference room, Development Services building, 171 N. Ross St. Open to all.

WEDNESDAY, AUG 1 – FRIDAY, AUG 3 — 10TH ANNUAL SOUTHEAST WATERSHED ROUNDTABLE: Sustaining Our Water Infrastructure through Watershed-Based Approaches.
Held at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, Braselton, GA.
Info: http://www.southeastwaterforum.org/index.asp
Presenters from around the Southeast and beyond will showcase communities, utilities and industries blending innovative strategies for water supply, waste-water and watershed management, based on the EPA’s Four Pillars of Sustainable Water Infrastructure: 1. Better Management; 2. Full Cost Pricing; 3. Water Efficiency; and 4. Watershed Approach.

WEDNESDAY, AUG 1, 10:00 AM — ALABAMA ETHICS COMMISSION
Held in the 9th Floor Hearing Room, 100 North Union Street, Mont. – 334-242-2997. Open to all.
The Alabama Ethics Commission will meet in open session to render Advisory Opinions requested by public officials/public employees. An Executive Session will be held to discuss matters relating to complaints filed with the Ethics Commission and the results of those investigations. These matters are covered by the Grand Jury Secrecy Act. No matters will be discussed which are outside the scope of the State guidelines for the holding of Executive Sessions. Matters discussed in Executive Session will be voted on in public.

WEDNESDAY, AUG 1, 4:30 PM — AUBURN BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT / BZA
Held in the City Council Chambers, 141 N. Ross St. Open to all.
Agenda and full packet: www.auburnalabama.org/bza/agenda.asp
Agenda includes:
OLD BUSINESS — none
NEW BUSINESS:
1. 227 Marion Circle — Applicant: Frank M. Smith and Donna J. Bohanan – Case #PL-2007-00665
Variance to Section 502.01 Table 5-2: Lot Area, Setback, Bulk Regulations and Parking Requirements: Neighborhood Conservation District
Zoning District: Neighborhood Conservation (NC-14)
Action Requested: Variance of 29-feet to the required 40-foot rear yard setback on the north side and 2-feet to the required 14-foot side yard setback on the east side for an addition to a residence
2. Lot 50, Longleaf Crossing Phase Three — Applicant: Hayley-Freeman Construction Company — Case #PL-2007-00666
Variance to Section 502.02(D) Performance Residential Twin Home requirements
Zoning District: Planned Development District (PDD) with Comprehensive Development District (CDD) underlying
Action Requested: Variance of 0.3-feet to the required 25-foot side yard on a street setback requirement
OTHER BUSINESS. CHAIRMAN’S COMMUNICATION. ADJOURNMENT.

THURSDAY, AUG 2, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — FARMER’S MARKET AT AG HERITAGE PARK
Held at AU’s Ag Heritage Park, corner of Samford Ave & S. Donahue Drive. For more details, contact Katie Jackson at smithcl@auburn.edu or 844-5887.

FRIDAY, AUG 3, 11:30 AM — AUBURN TREE COMMISSION
Held at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce conference room, 714 E Glenn Ave. Open to all.

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BOARDS & COMMISSIONS:

LEE COUNTY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER BOARD — VACANCY
One vacancy will be announced at the August 21 City Council meeting and will be filled at the September 18 meeting. The incumbent, Jay Jones, has served two terms and is not eligible for reappointment.

AUBURN GREENSPACE ADVISORY BOARD — NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED
Randy Bodine was reappointed to the Board. Eric Cox, of Cox Properties, was appointed to his first term on the Board. (Cox replaced outgiong incumbent Tom Hayley, who had served two terms and was not eligible for reappointment.)

AUBURN DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY — NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED
Brad Wilson and Ray Huff were appointed to the Board. (They replace outgoing incumbents Tom Tillman and Bob Steiner, who had served two terms and were not eligible for reappointment.)
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CITY OF AUBURN PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS / status reports –
For details of current projects, including photos: www.auburnalabama.org/pw/status.asp
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Thanks for your interest and support.

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UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COLUMN IS FROM JULY 2007.  Auburn’s ISO fire ratings were reviewed at that time, and as of August 2008 have been recalculated by ISO to a 3/9 rating.

AUBURN’S PLAYING SHELL GAME WITH FIRE RATINGS

by Lisa Brouillette

[First published in the Opelika-Auburn News July 20, 2007]

It’s troubling that a possible change in Auburn’s ISO fire protection rating might lead to a rise in fire insurance rates. Just as troubling, however, is that for years the city routinely misrepresented its Insurance Service Office (ISO) ratings.

The city’s actual rating has been a split ISO class 2/9. Some parts of the city are rated Class 2. Others –such as those not within five miles of a fire station– have the next-to-worst rating of ISO Class 9.

But for years, dating back to when Doug Watson was city manager, the city inaccurately reported its ISO rating, showing the entire city as an excellent Class 2 rating. (1=best, 10=worst)

That misleading information was oft-repeated and documented in various city publications. For example, it’s shown in the community profile section of Auburn’s FY 2003-04 and FY 2005-06 budgets, and the Sept 2003 Open Line newsletter.

Then, belatedly, in the community profile section of the FY 2007-08 budget, without public discussion of its previous misrepresentation, the city finally listed its true ISO Class 2/9 split rating.

Interestingly, even those who read the draft FY 2007-08 budget presented to the City Council and to the public wouldn’t have seen this change. The draft budget didn’t include the community profile section with the changed rating.

That section was added later, quietly, in the budget version posted on the city website, just before the city was scheduled to receive results of its Fall 2006 ISO evaluation.

No wonder there is public distrust of information provided by the city.

That ISO evaluation, it should be noted, illustrated that the city’s fire protection services and infrastructure haven’t kept pace with its rapid development and aggressive annexation. In other words, it validated concerns that the city hasn’t adequately addressed the true costs of growth.

Even so, most of our city officials still tell us the costs of growth are being handled just fine, that we needn’t worry. And we’re expected to believe them?

The city has kept a relatively close hold on the actual ISO report and the city’s response to it, though city staff have presented their interpretation of the report. (Full disclosure: In late June I requested copies of the ISO report and the city’s response to it. I’ve received no reply yet, though some other media requests have been answered.)

The ISO report and the city’s response to it belong to the public — not to city officials. This information could have and should have been made readily available to the public and the media, on the city website and in the public library, as soon as it was received by the city.

Why wasn’t it? Why did the current city manager make that choice? Why were the existing ISO ratings misrepresented by the city for so many years?

What else has the city goverment failed to share with its citizens?

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