Republican Mayoral Candidate Proposes Hurricane-Relief Ordinance

This just in from Republican mayoral candidate Bernard "Bob" Joy campaign headquarters:

Alderman Bernard 'Bob' Joy, Jr. announced today that he will propose a hurricane-relief ordinance that will waive all City building, planning, and related fees in Milford through December 1, 2011, for residents devastated by Hurricane Irene last weekend. The proposed ordinance would only affect City, and not State, fees.

"Many local homes have been destroyed and/or damaged by Hurricane Irene," said Joy. “This is true from Woodmont and Bayview Beach to East Broadway and Laurel Beach - and throughout the city - where flooding and fallen trees have created havoc and destruction.” "So many homeowners are behind the proverbial eight ball," said Joy.

"What Milford can do to help them recover is to waive the additional burden of permit fees. Since many homeowners need to repair and rebuild, one assist they can get from the Small City with a Big Heart is some relief on costly permit fees."

To accomplish this, Joy said he will also propose a resolution at the next Board of Aldermen meeting to re-word an applicable ordinance with language permitting discretion in fee collection from Hurricane Irene victims. A small part of these fees is State-mandated and cannot be waived locally, Joy explained.

So Joy called upon State legislators to address a waiver of State fees in cases involving large-scale damage like that sustained in Milford last weekend.

In addition, Joy said he will strongly advocate the creation of a special task force, consisting in part of permitting and other appropriate officials, to meet regularly over the next weeks to give prompt review, advice, feedback, and, if possible, necessary permits, to applicants seeking to rebuild and recover from Irene.

"Our budget has line-items for overtime and contingency. I recommend we use them now to expedite rebuilding and repair," said Joy. "We can't tolerate the situation where a homeowner's permit application faces a lengthy review that approaches the 30-day legal limit, only to be denied and sent back to square one."

"If we do these things, maybe we can give some merit to the saying 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help,' " said Joy.

Joy, whose East Broadway home suffered serious damage from the storm, said if his fee-waiver ordinance is adopted, he would forgo any reduction in fees.

"I’m not looking to save money. There is nothing personal about this proposal, except for the fact that many of my friends and neighbors through Milford have been dealt a harsh blow. Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than to see them get some relief and a helping hand from Milford officials."