Additions to Warren County’s subdivision ordinance appear to be imminent following updates from county engineers Thursday detailing work in developments deemed out of step with the existing regulations.

While more subdivisions have been approved for county maintenance on roads since an aggressive letter-writing campaign by supervisors last summer, a nearly equal number have not.

In a few cases, poor drainage planning and uneven curb and gutter work has been discovered, County Engineer John McKee said, prompting engineers to halt work at two subdivisions until the issues are addressed.

Under the 2004 ordinance, subdivision builders must submit a preliminary plan that broadly defines the area under development, including names, widths and distances between roads. Following supervisors’ approval, a final construction plan must be submitted showing drainage and elevations.

The goal has been to prevent poorly planned and substandard infrastructure by private builders becoming the responsibility of taxpayers.

Enforcement of the ordinance’s most stringent penalties — misdemeanor fines of $500 per day per violation if convicted before the county court judge — has been sporadic. Supervisors agreed to hear suggestions from county engineers Monday, the most substantial of which would prohibit the sale of lots in a subdivision until all roads are completed and dedicated. Currently, it is possible for lots to be sold and plats issued before actual completion of a road.

Supervisors remain hesitant on legal action for varied reasons — the struggling national economy and lending practices by financial institutions were cited most recently — but have not slowed the board’s insistence on meeting basic standards.

“We need to put some stitches instead of a Band-Aid,” District 4 Supervisor Bill Lauderdale said. “(Developers) can go bankrupt for all I care.”

“Our wounds are self-inflicted,” Board President Richard George said, referencing decades of unregulated development before the ordinance was enacted.

“Reputable, strong character developers do and do it right. But some do five phases at a time and don’t finish any of them and then think the taxpayers ought to be subsidizing the development.”

Another idea, by District 1 Supervisor David McDonald “as a compromise to the builders,” would sweeten existing discounts on property taxes paid by developers on unimproved lots by waiting to attach a value until it is sold.

Tax Assessor Richard Holland said the discounts are determined by a formula from the Mississippi State Tax Commission and have saved builders up to 60 percent on a normal tax bill, depending on how fast lots have sold.

“We have had a developers’ discount,” Holland told supervisors. “We always have.”

Announcements of developments specifically intended for private, nongovernmental maintenance before formal sessions of the Board of Supervisors was also mentioned as a possible addition to the ordinance.

Including those where work was stopped this week, 14 subdivisions in which planners were notified of noncompliance status remain that way. Another 12 minor or full subdivisions have been approved for final plats since August 2008.

That dozen approved for county maintenance is more than triple the number approved for all of 2007, when an $85,000 study by Central Mississippi Planning and Development District on a land-use plan was completed but not adopted by supervisors. Maps showed most areas outside the city would not have deviated from current land uses.

Mostly ignored as a possible component of development regulation since the study’s completion, the issue did come up during Thursday’s discussions.

“We’re leading up to that ugly word you don’t want to hear — zoning,” board attorney Randy Sherard said at one point.

George disagreed on grounds that additional regulations on land use would rein in shoddy development.

“Who’s going to stop (developers) from selling a piece of land?” George asked.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com

Subdivisions

Subdivisions awaiting final plat approval

Amberleaf Subdivision, off U.S. 80.

Brandi Lane Subdivision, Parts 1 and 2, off Oak Ridge Road

Camden Place Subdivision, off Oak Ridge Road

Fairways Subdivision, Parts 11 and 12, off Oak Ridge Road

Haley’s Point Estates, off Haley’s Point Road*

Holly Ridge Subdivision, off U.S. 80

Lee Hills Subdivision, off Memory Lane

Littlewood Subdivision, Part 2*

Openwood Acres Subdivision, off Oak Ridge Road

Powell Subdivision, off U.S. 61 North

Rabbit Run Subdivision, off Dogwood Lake Road

The Grove Subdivision

The Trace, Part 2

Twin Creeks Subdivision, off Lee Road

* denotes most recent stop-work order issued by county engineers

Subdivisions approved since Aug. 1

Anneville Subdivision

Boy Scout Subdivision

Choctaw Boundary

Fonsylvania Road Development

Forest Cove Subdivision, part 3

Lealand Point Subdivision

Littlewood Subdivision, part 1

Mill Creek Subdivision

Redwood Heights

Stonegate Subdivision, parts 1-4

The Trace, Part 1

Tucker Crossing Subdivision