Retrofits in DeKalb: Two more weeks, residents
December 11, 2007 at 1:27 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsFirst, an apology for my post last week encouraging readers to attend a DeKalb County Commission meeting that I misinterpreted as a vote but was actually a public hearing. If I ever do that again, rest assured that I’ll be at the meeting and awaiting beat-downs from angry residents whom I may have misled. Again, I apologize.
The DeKalb County Commission today deferred the controversial proposed ordinance requiring homes in the county with pre-1993 plumbing to be retrofit prior to sale, much to the delight of the rows of Realtors who attended the meeting solely to rally against the issue. Upon the commission’s decision to hold off voting for two weeks, the army of real estate professionals — I mean, Realtors — exited Maloof Auditorium en masse.
The ordinance has been met by staunch opposition by the real estate industry, which says it places homeowners and professionals in the industry at risk of fines if properties they’ve bought or sold haven’t been retrofit. They also argue that the ordinance is shortsighted, rushed and unclear. For example, they say even homes that are meant to be torn down to make way for new ones would have to be retrofit.
CEO Vernon Jones said the county is exploring the option of setting up a $500,000 rebate program to help residents purchase the low-flow fixtures needed to comply with the ordinance. The industry argues that an incentive-based program would be more beneficial and effective.
Commissioner Jeff Rader, a strong supporter of the retrofit ordinance, said that if implemented, the measure could save 3.5 millions gallons of water each day.
If passed, look for it to go into effect June 1.
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