24 MAR 11
A G E N D A
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
MARCH 11, 2024
6:00 P.M.
CITY HALL
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
1. CALL TO ORDER: PAGES
2. APPROVAL AND/OR
CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Regular Scheduled Meeting of
November 13, 2023 1-3
3. VARIANCE REQUEST(S): Temp. placement of RV in R-7 zone
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220 S. 1 Street/110 Division Street
Petitioner: Timothy Pierce
Representative: Wilma Korth 4
(info included in packet)
ADJOURNMENT
MINUTES: BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT REGULAR MEETING
DATE AND TIME: March 11, 2024 6:10 p.m. – 6:38 p.m.
ATTENDANCE: Commissioners: Dietz, Montgomery, Twitty, and
Acting Chairman Moore were present.
______________________________________________________________________
City Clerk Susan Davitt recorded those listed above in attendance and Acting
Chairman Moore declared a quorum.
APPROVAL AND/OR CORRECTION OF MINUTES: Council Member Dietz moved, seconded
by Commissioner Twitty to approve the regularly scheduled meeting minutes
of November 13, 2023. MOTION CARRIED.
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VARIANCE(S): Temporary placement of RV in R-7 zone 220 S. 1 Street/110
Division Street
Acting Chairman Moore opened the public hearing at approximately 6:11 p.m.
City Engineer Adam Whitlow reminded that Timothy Pierce is the current
resident of the home and Wilma Korth is a cousin who is assisting him in
the legal matters of reconciling the ownership of the estate. He recalled
that the Board granted a time extension to reconcile ownership so they could
ask for a variance to allow the RV to stay temporarily. He stated there
has been some movement in the court system with an appointee to the estate
being established, but the question of ownership is still in debate. He
told how he wrote a letter to Ms. Korth stating what he felt the minimum
conditions may be. He read part of the letter, stating: “Ms. Korth, As you
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are aware, the property at 220 South 1 Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas is
currently in violation of the Jacksonville Zoning code due to the placement
and occupation of two RVs on-site. One RV is owned by you and the other
by a nurse friend of yours according to your statement. At the November
13, 2023 Jacksonville Board of Adjustment meeting, you presented a request
on behalf of Mr. Pierce to request a variance to allow the RVs to remain
until certain issues were settled with the estate of Mr. Pierce. At the
time of the meeting, proof of ownership could not be provided due to issues
with the estate. Because of this the Board could not act on the variance
request, but instead granted 90 days to allow Mr. Pierce or representative
to produce proof of ownership so that the Board could lawfully move forward
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with the request. Based on our meeting today, February 12, it is my
understanding that the ownership issue has still not been resolved, but
the estate is in probate and the estate does have a representative. As such
you are resubmitting the variance request or are seeking another time
extension. As Mr. Pierce's representative, I recommend the following
documents be provided to support the pending variance request:
Since proof of ownership cannot currently be provided due to probate,
an acknowledgment of the request from the court appointed representative
of the estate would be needed at a minimum.
Please detail why it is necessary for you to be on-site, staying in your
RV instead of at a properly zoned RV park or staying in the house. It
is my understanding that you are helping Mr. Pierce navigate the various
legal issues caused by the death of his guardian and brother; however,
is it necessary for you to be available 24 hours a day? Has Mr. Pierce
been declared incompetent? Are you acting in any legal capacity
(appointed guardian, power of attorney, etc.) or just as a concerned
family member? These are all questions that may be asked of you to justify
the hardship.
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BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT REGULAR MEETING
March 11, 2024 6:10 p.m. – 6:38 p.m.
It is my understanding that this request is temporary. As such, please
provide your best estimate as to how long this arrangement is expected.
You need to have clear, measurable goals in mind and objectives that need
to be met so that you can disengage from the site. For example, if probate
awards the property to Mr. Pierce, is that sufficient for you to end your
assistance and move? With clear objectives (such as the title to the
property conveying to Mr. Pierce) you should be able to give a reasonable
estimation of how much longer it will be necessary for you to be on-site.
This would presumably be based on conversations with the attorney or on
a future court date.
I recommend that the second RV occupied by your nurse friend be moved
offsite as soon as possible. I believe it would be best if it was moved
prior to the next meeting or that you be able to state that the RV is
only being stored on-site, unoccupied until repairs are complete and can
be moved.
I know that this is a complex issue and that there are several moving
components other than the variance request. When representing the variance
request to the Board, I would encourage you to focus specifically on the
hardship necessitating the request and avoid accusations of speculative
inappropriate actions taken by those opposing Mr. Pierce’s claim to the
residence.”
He related that is the guide under which he gave Ms. Korth and Mr. Pierce
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on February 12. He noted the RV of her friend has been moved off site and
she has provided a letter from their attorney representing the appointee
of the State. He clarified that the appointee is named Susan Vincil, who
is a paralegal for WH Law, who is the attorney representing Mr. Pierce.
He explained the attorney Chad Taylor, on behalf of the petitioners,
requested Ms. Vincil be the representative of the estate. He was unsure
of how much legal authority the appointee representative of the estate has.
He stated he does have some reservations on the technical side if it moved
forward to enaction.
Council Member Dietz affirmed the Board cannot grant something they do not
own. He surmised it is going to take a long time to get the ownership
resolved.
Ms. Korth clarified she is asking for an extension of the stay. She stated
the RV can sit on private property, but the problem is she could not sleep
in her own bed in that RV. She related that she travels and that is her
mobile home she moves and goes place to place that is self-contained, not
needing to be hooked up to water, but does have to be dumped. She told how
she has been staying in the house, because her RV was in the shop, but it
has been four weeks since and she has had to sleep in a one hundred year
old metal bed when she is allergic to titanium metal. She stressed that
she just wants to sleep in her own bed, noting she will get the RV back
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tomorrow and will be leaving on March 31. She confirmed she will not be
coming back until June, unless there is a problem with the probate, and
by then they should have the estate settled. She reiterated that the RV
is not there now and has not been for four weeks. When Engineer Whitlow
inquired, she mentioned she may come back for a week or weekend in the
future.
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BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT REGULAR MEETING
March 11, 2024 6:10 p.m. – 6:38 p.m.
Engineer Whitlow affirmed that Jacksonville code does not allow that, or
any temporary stay of any kind of an RV in this zoning.
Acting Chairman Moore closed the public hearing at approximately 6:35 p.m.
Council Member Dietz moved, seconded by Commissioner Twitty to not approve
a variance, but approve the continued extension of the original 90-day
extension until March 31, 2024 for an RV located at 220 South First
Street/110 Division Street. MOTION CARRIED.
When Council Member Dietz inquired, Ms. Korth confirmed that Mr. Pierce
is able to stay and take care of himself.
ADJOURNMENT:
Without objection, Acting Chairman Moore adjourned the meeting at
approximately 6:38 p.m. MOTION CARRIED.
Respectfully,
___________________________ ______________________________
Susan L. Davitt ACTING CHAIRMAN Jim Moore
CITY CLERK – TREASURER
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