By Mandy Bourgeois | Published Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Bridgeport City Council approved the implementation of a new program that would utilize the help of volunteer groups in enhancing Bridgeport neighborhoods.
The Neighbors Helping Neighbors program will pair volunteers with property owners who are unable to keep their property in code due to disability or economic disadvantage.
"It could be as significant as structural repair or as simple as high grass," said city administrator Van James. "Our development services department has taken a personal interest in this."
In order to request help through the program, property owners must provide proof of their annual income or disability. The maximum income for a single-person household is $25,850; two people, $29,550; three people, $33,250; four people, $36,900; five people, $39,900; six people, $42,900; seven people, $45,800; eight people, $48,750.
"I think it's a great program, and there are quite a few people who need it," said Mayor Don Majka.
In other business, the council approved an ordinance establishing minimum square footage in residential zoning districts.
Director of development services Ashley Smalley explained that the ordinance was developed in reaction to the popularity of modular or industrialized housing. Because state law prohibits cities from restricting the housing type to its own zoning district or to manufactured home zoning, city staff debated between setting aesthetic requirements or square-footage requirements.
City staff decided setting minimum square feet per dwelling was the most feasible choice at this time.
They researched building permits issued within the city limits during 2008 and 2009 and found the average square footage of homes to be 1,800, with the smallest home at 1,265 square feet.
The ordinance requires a minimum of 1,300 square feet, exclusive of garages, for a single-family home; 900 square feet per unit for two-family homes; and 650 square feet per unit for three-family homes.
Amendment to electric fee schedule
On a separate item, the council approved an amendment to the electric utility rates fee schedule.
The amendment significantly impacts the commercial rate schedule of the new fee schedule approved in January.
Amy Standard, director of financial services, said that while the new schedule was intended to create more revenue, the adjustments created more revenue than was intended.
James said the new fee schedule will be a benefit to all commercial customers.
Revisions to the schedule include:
- an industrial rate class for any customer that exceeds 250 kW monthly;
- elimination of the assessment of the three-phase service charge and reverting back to only the single phase service charge, and reducing the medium, large and industrial commercial customer service charge to match the small commercial $15.32 per month;
- elimination of the section "minimum monthly charge" and adding language that defines the service charge as the minimum monthly charge to eliminate the confusion by employees and confusion by the customers;
- amending the period of time before the customer account will be reviewed as far as the billing class is concerned. All commercial customer accounts will be reviewed quarterly to verify if the rate class they are billed is still an accurate rate class based on the rate class definitions;
- revision of the section under billing demand to read, "The billing demand shall be in the maximum 15-minute measured kilowatt demand in the billing period." Previously, the language stated that it billed you at 50 percent of the peak demand measured in a 12-month period every billing cycle even if the customer didn't use any demand.
The annual revenue loss for the city with the amended schedule is approximately $236,000.
