When Holiday Island City Council met last week, it was determined that the Planning Commission will have a meeting on June 11 to discuss 13 applications for short-term rental properties. If all applications are approved, the city will have 94 officially recognized short-term rentals.
Code enforcement will be looking to see if there are any property owners operating unofficial short-term rentals and fine them.
The budget has earned about 50 percent of what is needed for the Planning Commission for the year, which City Treasurer Wesley Stille said was a positive. The city has issued 17 business licenses so far, which alarmed several council members until it was further divulged that there was a file with applications awaiting finalized inspections before they could be processed, which would raise the numbers.
The budget was under projections for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department because they have only had one deputy this year. Mayor Dan Kees said that Deputy Jeff Bilbo has received a promotion and will be replaced with a new deputy.
Kees then opened the floor to Stille to speak about city financials as of April. Stille said the city had $868,000 in the bank after paying fees and taxes, with county taxes at 33 percent for the year so far, a little bit under the pro rata amount, but more $1000 more than it had been in 2023.
Fire Chief Randy Ates presented an update on HIFD, particularly during the storm. There were no injuries, 21 trees had to be cleared off blocked roads, there were four flooded roads including on Hwy. 187 running through Beaver to the west. There had been seven calls for emergency services during the storm, and staff and volunteers put in more than 200 hours in a 24-hour period.
Inspections and inspection forms for businesses and short-term rentals were then brought up. Council had, in the past, created a form not knowing that HIFD already had one for business and property owners. HIFD’s is now the main form people need to fill out for their inspections.
Inspections will be done by HIFD and by the city to inspect for following city building codes. Anything about the property’s structure will fall to the building inspector, and anything concerning fire safety will be the focus of HIFD.
Ates said one of the major issues with business and property owners is that they are getting inadequate extinguishers. Each floor requires two ten lb. extinguishers mounted in clear sight at least 75 feet from exits. Warnings were issued about using gas grills on decks and patios and Kees pointed out that charcoal grills are not allowed on wooden decks, particularly in apartment complexes.
Ordinance 2024-003 concerning Animal Control regulations was read for the third time and several council members brought up the fine for animal attacks. They requested the maximum charge be increased due to the severity of past animal attacks. Council amended the maximum penalty to $5000.
There was discussion about the current contract Holiday Island has with the Carroll County Solid Waste Authority, and Kees said that CCSWA will be reviewing the contract and basing rates on a CPI index separate from fuel rates. Those rates had been adjusted down from 6.5 percent to 5.8 percent.
This did not quell council’s concerns, so they agreed to have a workshop after the lawsuit with a private waste management company has been resolved, and CCSWA has presented a new contract on February 1.
Ordinance 2024-007, amending Ordinance 2023-020 on business licenses was read, and it was realized that there were still problems with wording and additions concerning inspections. For instance property owner versus city responsibilities needed clarification. These were amended, and a vote passed the revisions.
Mention was made of the closing of the Peachtree Assisted Living facility, how to help current occupants, and what to do with the property. This led to some talk about creating a tiny house community in Holiday Island, an item for a future agenda.