Congratulations to Mount Vernon City Council. An Ordinance which would have allowed excessively large accessory buildings (sheds, garages, etc.) to be constructed in Mount Vernon residential backyards was indefinitely postponed for a Council vote. That means the legislation will not be considered again until a form of the ordinance is brought back for discussion at some future time. We can credit you and your fellow Mount Vernon residents for communicating with council members showing your displeasure with the size of building being considered.
The average size modest home in Mount Vernon has a living space size of 1200-1500 square feet. To put that dimension into a footprint size; that represents a single floor ranch style home with a size of approximately 33’ x 46’ or less. The ordinance would have permitted a structure to be built as big as 720 sq. ft. or 24’ x 30’. That size could have been as big as one-half the size of the house on the property. If you are having difficulty visualizing what a 720 sq.ft. building looks like, an example of that size is pictured here. The current city building code also states that the accessory building can be 18’ high; again, as pictured in this posting. It is our opinion that the 18’ height should be reduced to 15’ feet which is more appropriate to what an accessory building should be.
Thank you City Council for not approving this Ordinance which would have increased the size of back-yard buildings in our single-family neighborhoods. Can you imagine having to look at this building every day in your neighbor’s back yard?
The Mt Vernon City Waster Water Facility (WW) has been deteriorating and failing for several years. In 2017 the city hired a consulting firm (Strand Associates) to assess the status of the Mt Vernon WW plant and to report what renovations and up-grades are needed. This 2017 Strand Report identified what WW upgrades are required. The 6-7 major items are:
The information provided below reflects the City administration’s plan presented to city council to increase the wastewater rates to all users. The plan was for a 15% increase over the first 3 years and following that the increases would continue at the rate of 10% per year automatically in perpetuity (without end unless city council decided to intervene). Several members of the public were aware of how unrealistic this rate increase is and asked city council to delay approval until after the details were shared with the public. City council agreed with the citizens’ complaint and scheduled a public zoom meeting on January 19 at 6:30pm. Additionally council showed concern over the automatic rate increase of 10% which would occur in the 4th year as the plan is currently designed.