The Kinder Council agreed to allow its attorney – Michael Holmes – to draft an ordinance to change the way zoning is done for trailer homes coming into the city. He will do two different options, allowing variances to be brought before the council or zoning board. At the next meeting, the council will review the two ordinances and decide if they should amend the present ordinance.
The matter came to the council’s attention when Vickie Tunwar asked to move a trailer, bought from a Kinder resident and made in 1999, to her mother’s lot.
“I removed the hurricane damaged home,” Vickie Tunwar said as she explained the hurricanes and pandemic had driven up the cost of materials and new mobile home prices. As a member of the zoning board, she recalled they heard a variance issue in 2015. She wanted to know why the city attorney was denying her the same process.
Holmes explained he could only interpret the present ordinance. He said the council could change the wording if they chose to do so, but as it read now, and if it was done in the past, the ordinance did not allow for a variance of more than six years.
City Clerk Traci Fontenot explained some people in the past were granted variances but that was because of misinterpretation of the ordinance. Once her office received information suggesting the ordinance was not being followed, her office began following it. She said she was only human, and that was her mistake. Once she knew the right way to handle the matter, her office began following the ordinance.
After much discussion, it was agreed Holmes would draft two proposed ordinances – one allowing the matter to go before the council and the other before the zoning board for the council to discuss and consider at the next meeting.
In other business, the mayor appointed Angie Van Norman as mayor pro tempore. Holmes was appointed town attorney, and Hugh Cunningham as magistrate. Fontenot will continue as city clerk, while park commissioners will be Latoya Tunwar and Susanne “Sue” Sonnier. Streets and drainage commissioners will be Tunwar and Jerry L. Nevils Jr. The finance committee will consist of Van Norman and Marie DeWees.
Mayor Wayland LaFargue said there were several projects that will be addressed this year. There will be the kick off of the Nixon Addition Drainage, about $3.7 million, and Sewage Project, about $4.7 million. He said they are hoping the state will take on replacing the Park Road Bridge. If they do not get the funds, then they will work with the police jury to replace it.
He said it will be very expensive, but they are looking at renovating the inside of the community center. He said the police department is getting a new roof at this time.
The water tower has to be replaced because parts are no longer made and available. He said the city engineer is looking at replacing it, and it will take six months to build a new one. He added it will cost $45,000 to $55,000 to replace the system on Trash Pile Road/North Eighth.
LaFarge said they received two swing sets, one for the Veteran Park and one for the Nixon Park.
Fontenot said the employee handbook has not been revised since 2019. She said they added a section for drug testing for pipelines and based it on other company’s rules. Tunwar asked to table the matter until the next meeting.
The mayor also designated Bernard Avenue as the Chester Braxton Memorial Avenue in honor of the former city worker who served the town for 42 years. The street will be known by both names.
The Kinder Council welcomed two new members, Sonnier and Nevils. All of the council took their oath of office, which was administered by the Honorable E. David Deshotels, 33rd Judicial District.
