By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@TheCitizenNews.com

Brooks is among the county municipalities that are still mulling over signing off on impact fees for a new county jail.

Town Attorney David Winkle told members of the Town Council that if they decide to impose the fees, to have the county help with preparing the paperwork involved. He further suggested that the town enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the county to collect the fees.

Assistant County Attorney Dennis Davenport and county planning director Chris Venice were asked to a council meeting to answer questions posed by the councilmen. It is projected that a vote will come at the group's Aug. 9 meeting following its second public hearing on the matter.

In other business, town planning and zoning administrator Huie Bray pointed out a problem with “flag lots,” and the definition of “immediate access” to these lots. He requested a change be made to the current zoning regulation that allows the owners of landlocked properties to have driveways if they had 25 feet of road frontage.

A developer decided to build a small subdivision using this rule and wanted to build houses with only a 25-foot-wide road into the neighborhood. That would cause a problem for fire trucks, which need to be able to get in and to turn around once there, Bray said.

Council approved “a moratorium on building permits and improvements on lots with road frontage of less than 100 feet, excluding those lots previously platted and approved by the town, for a period of 90 days in order for the Planning and Zoning Committee to study proper ways in which to regulate lots commonly called flag lots and bring recommendations back to the Town Council.”

The council also is in the process of accepting bids to remodel Hardy Hall, its administration building behind the Town Hall.