VIENNA — The Vienna City Council has two proposals to consider for changing the city’s mobile home ordinance. The proposals were prepared by the city attorney, Ross Bush. 

At the council’s January meeting, Mayor Tyler “TC” James said the biggest change from the city’s current mobile home ordinance is the removal of the language under the title “Abandonment of mobile home in a non designated area.” Also, there is additional wording at the end of the ordinance giving the council the authority to expedite review of an application, waiving advertising and a public hearing, in an emergency situation. He asked the council members to look over both proposals and they will decide at the February meeting. 

The mayor said basically the ordinance says if someone moves a mobile home into Vienna, there must be an advertised public hearing on the matter and the only exception is in an emergency when the council can waive the hearing. The main goal with the proposed ordinance change is if someone wants to move in or to replace an existing mobile home with another one, the council must approve it first. 

The council will make an application form and Mayor James said, “We can put on it whatever we want.” The application can include details about the mobile home to be placed such as year, make and model and can ask for recent photographs to include an exterior wall photo and an interior room as well.

South Ward Alderwoman Brenda Davis said they can ask what they want. James said he will let the city attorney know the council members are on board with his proposal. 

Chief of Police Shannon Thompson suggested the council make any other ordinance changes at the same time because MRPC charges a fee to update the ordinance book. He said he doesn’t know if there are other ordinances that need changes, but he thinks it’s a good idea and will save the city money if they do it all at the same time. 

James said the only other ordinance change they’ve talked about is changing to at-large council members rather than alderpersons from specific wards, which in Vienna’s case is north and south wards. They’ve also talked about having elections every other year, instead of the way it is now with elections two years in a row, then no elections for two years. James said if they do this when it initially goes into effect, one person’s term will be shortened and another person’s term will be extended. After that, the terms will all be the same. 

Also, James said now the ordinances are online as there are no ordinance books made anymore.

Davis said MRPC charges to change codes, no matter how many they have. James said he’d like Clerk Carrie Roberds to check on the price. 

In other business, the council members are continuing to learn how to read the financial statement produced by new software system. The previous statement was more user friendly and easy to understand. Mayor James said everything they need to know is there in the new statement, they just have to learn it. 

Roberds said maybe it can be exported into an Excel spreadsheet, or she could put each fund on its own page. 

“We’re all learning, but keep working on it,” James said. Davis said maybe she can use legal paper to print it out so the council members can see all of it. 

They talked about different budgets, noting the $19,096.09 given to the city by the VCDC when the industrial development park was sold to Hippos for the marijuana cultivation facility along Highway V. That money was placed in its own MMDA account to keep it separate. James said the money will specifically be used for its intended purpose, which is community development.

In other business utilities employee Jim Sandbothe said Mid-State began work on the water plant/storage tank that day.