Council discusses fate of Lake Olney lot leases

The City Council discussed options for cleaning up current code and lease violations at Lake Olney, including annexing the lake, raising rental rates and allowing homes, as well as preserving the space for recreational purposes.

A Council subcommittee and Police Chief Dan Birbeck have worked for about a year to remove dilapidated structures, illegal septic systems and accumulated debris, and to stop illegal drawing of water at the 56 lake lots, which rent for $500 a year, Mayor Rue Rogers said.

On June 1, the City sent applications to lake residents to learn who holds the leases and what structures are there. Some tenants got “handshake deals” to build homes decades ago that were not allowed under the leases or approved by the Council, Birbeck said.

The new leases propose a $150 per month rental rate and require leaseholders to carry insurance, Rogers said.

“We need to be good stewards and be sure we charge a fair market value and provide the services that we can …just as we would in the City,” he said.

Charlie Brantley, who lives at Lake Olney, said the lake community should be bound by the same rules as City residents.

“You send out a notice and, they have ample opportunity to correct that,” he said. “If they don’t, sorry, you lose.”

Mayor Pro Tem Tom Parker questioned how the City could apply its residential codes to the lake.

“The ordinances that we have apply to residences,” he said. “It’s time to set your feet on stone. We need a definition of a residence and if we are going to allow residences. Otherwise these are pop-up trailers because that’s what’s allowed out there.”