Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Codes Enforcement Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mobridge resident asks council to waive unpaid rental fee to get building permit; council cites ordinance
Summary
Property owner Bill Stickney asked the council to allow a building permit despite an outstanding $21 monthly rental-unit fee balance. City staff and council members said the city ordinance generally bars permitting when balances are owed but allows the council to grant permits for good cause; no vote occurred.
MOBRIDGE, S.D. — Property owner Bill Stickney asked the Mobridge City Council on Aug. 13 to allow issuance of a building permit for a yard structure even though a $21 monthly fee tied to a former rental unit remains unpaid.
Stickney said he owns two houses on Fifth Avenue West, one a former rental, and that he does not plan to rent the property again. Because the rental account shows an outstanding balance, city staff said the building permit could not be issued. “I would like the balance to go away,” Stickney told the council, but he acknowledged that he understood council members may be bound by ordinance.
City staff and councilmembers explained the ordinance requires owners to pay the minimum availability charge for water and sewer when the utility is available to a lot; the rule is intended to distribute infrastructure costs among property owners. Staff noted the code also includes a provision allowing the city council to grant a permit upon a showing of good cause. The council said it would not take the matter up as a formal vote that night because it was not on the agenda; staff said they would review the ordinance language and return options to the council if the owner requested a formal hearing.
Why it matters: The case highlights an enforcement provision the council uses to collect utility availability charges and shows the limited circumstances under which the council can waive those charges or grant a building permit despite an outstanding balance.
Outcome: No action was taken; staff said they would revisit the ordinance language and provide follow-up options if the matter is formally requested for council consideration.
