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At the May 23 Troy City Council Meeting, the council approved a four-month extension of the city’s moratorium on new multi-family developments.

In May of 2022 the council approved the temporary one-year moratorium on the “construction of, extension of and/or addition of multi-family developments including, but not limited to, developments containing one or more multi-family structures, apartments, triplexes, duplexes, condominiums and other forms of multi-family dwellings.”

The moratorium did not – and still does not – affect any multi-family developments that had already began construction, already been permitted or received site plan approval from the City of Troy Planning and Zoning Commission on or prior to the date of the publication of the original moratorium.

The purpose of the moratorium was to allow the city to study the current needs of housing stock, impact of increasing multi-family units and current zoning regulations associated with the City of Troy.

As such, the four-month extension is to “give the city these months to draft, review, recommend, enact and implement zoning amendments related to the development and/or regulation of multi-family developments. This ordinance also removes the moratorium on special exceptions related to any new or proposed single-family homes on a single lot and/or duplexes on a single lot.”

The council heard the second reading of the proposed extension and then voted to approve it with all councilmembers in attendance voting to approve it. Councilperson Wanda Moultry was not in attendance for the meeting due to being out of town. The resolution passed 4-0.

In other business, the council approved a memorandum of understanding between the Troy Police Department, Troy City Jail and the One Place Family Justice Center in Montgomery for the use of the center’s sexual assault nurse examiner in the case of an inmate that suffers a sexual assault while in the jail. Troy Police Chief Randall Barr emphasized that there has not been a single incident of this nature at the jail since he has been employed, but this agreement was a necessity. The cost for an exam is $550 and if TPD ever needed an inmate to be examined, the cost would be paid for from the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Fund.

Additionally, the council approved the surplus of TPD’s K-9 narcotics detection dog, Milo, who will be entering into retirement after seven years of service. Barr told the council that Milo’s recent health issues – and age – are the reasons for his retirement.

“Milo has been one of the best we have ever had,” Barr said. “He was diagnosed a few months ago with an enlarged heart and he’s starting to have some problems with his hips, which limits his mobility. He’s been a great dog and has 100s of finds of narcotics to his credit. We hate to lose him to retirement but it’s time for him.”

Milo will go into retirement and live with his longtime TPD handler. The council also approved the purchase of two electric utility trucks for the utility department and approved a resolution to apply for a TAP grant for new sidewalks on Academy Street. The cost of the sidewalk project will be $1,033,316.69 but the grant will be an 80/20 split for the city if funded. The federal funds for the project would be $800,000 with the city needing to fund the other $233,316.69.

The council’s next meeting will be held on June 12 in the council chamber at Troy City Hall at 5 p.m. A work session will be held upstairs at City Hall at 4 p.m.