Commission sets standards for mobile homes
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on October 18, 2006 1:56 PM
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a restriction Tuesday that will stop mobile homes 15 years or older from being brought into the county.
The amendment to the county's mobile home ordinance is intended to keep out run-down units, officials said.
The new law is effective Nov. 1.
Mobile homes that are 15 years or older but already located in the county can receive a permit to be moved within the county, but they must meet minimum housing standards and have electricity turned on with 90 days of moving.
The owner will pay a $45 fee for the inspection of the interior of the mobile home to ensure it is up to minimum housing standards, County Manager Lee Smith said. That is the same fee an owner pays for a regular mobile home inspection.
The county commissioners have been trying to amend the county's mobile home ordinance for about a year and a half. Several nearby counties have similar restrictions in place.
The intent of the amended ordinance is to ensure that every mobile home in Wayne is fit for habitation, officials said.
A public hearing on the issue was held more than a year ago. The county Planning Board previously gave its approval to the changes.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners approved fire protection contracts with all but two of the county's fire districts and volunteer fire departments.
Emergency Services Director Joe Gurley said two fire departments had not completed the contract paperwork. County funds to them will not be dispersed until a financial review is received from each, Smith said.
The commissioners also approved a project administrator and engineer for the Community Development Block Grant project for neighborhoods near Cobb-Coley Lane. A $700,000 block grant is intended to improve the roads, septic systems and some of the houses in the neighborhood. The county has hired RSM Harris Associates Inc. as the project's administrator for $99,750. The company will provide all of the administrative and technical services for the project.
McDavid Associates Inc. has been hired as the project engineer. The companies will be paid on a fixed-fee cost of service plan. Each project becomes a percentage of the total project and McDavid gets paid based on that percentage, Smith explained.