A new councilor is at it again, making an ordinance change that 1) doesn’t benefit homeowners, only makes fencing more expensive and 2) doesn’t give homeowners any options. Councilor Bayse proposed the change at the Planning Commission Meeting last night, but didn’t even bother to show up as a Planning staffer presented the item (don’t blink you might miss the meeting);
ยง 160.480 FENCES.
(l) A fence post must be secured below ground level in all residential zoning districts.
He said a ‘couple’ of people complained that their neighbors(?) put fence posts in 5 gallon pails of concrete and didn’t bury the pails just had them sitting on the ground. So why not write an ordinance that says;
‘No fence posts can be put above ground in pails of concrete or other substrates.’
There is also a million different ways you can secure a post. You can attach it to another out building or your house, you can use L brackets and bolt them to a concrete patio pad. Heck, there are probably so many different ways to fix this, it’s not even funny.
I spoke with a person who is in management for a large fencing company in Sioux Falls. He had no idea they were proposing this. Fortunately it hasn’t arrived to the council yet so he has a few weeks to shake them down, and he intends to.
Instead of making regs based on a couple of your friends bitching, why not actually research the topic, talk to professionals in the field, heck, have a public round table. But for god sakes stop passing ordinances to make it look like you are doing something. And don’t pull away the football at the last minute either!