TCC amends fire code
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 25, 2003
The Troy City Council tended to some basic civic matters Tuesday night.
The council voted unanimously to amend the building and fire codes of the city to meet up to date standards. The move brings the cities buildings, plumbing, electrical systems and other codes into compliance with national standards and is particularly timely given a recent fire in a Rhode Island club that sparked a vast national conversation about fire codes.
With all members present, the council voted without dissent to allow the removal of a dilapidated building at 216 Madison St. The home there had already been condemned by the city at an earlier meeting.
Additionally, the city amended an old resolution to vacate an abandoned alley, allowing easements and other reforms to be enacted.
Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford will be honored for his 20 years of service as an elected official at an upcoming League of Municipalities meeting. The council voted to appoint Lunsford as a voted delegate at the meeting and the mayor said he was proud to have served for such an outstanding period of time.
In closing remarks, Lunsford said he had just received a copy of Bill Pryor's Attorney General's opinion in the mail. Lunsford had requested a response to several questions concerning the ability of municipalities to offer cash inducements to corporations.
Although he said he had only reviewed a draft of Pryor's opinion, Lunsford said the ruling &uot;is contrary to what I had anticipated as response.&uot;
According to a copy of the ruling obtained several days ago by The Messenger, Pryor gives cities the green light to offer sums of cash to companies in order to entice them to set up shop. Pryor also wrote that cities could pay for training for employees and could offer land to the corporations, as long as such moves were deemed by municipal governing bodies to be in the public interest.
Lunsford said he would offer further comment on Pryor's ruling and the effects it may have on Troy's ability to attract industry at a future date after he has had time to review the opinion.
Stephen Stetson can be reached at stephen.stetson @troymessenger.com.