S.A. CONSIDERS METH CLEANUP LAW

The St. Albans City Council introduced an ordinance Monday night requiring
the owners of buildings used as methamphetamine labs to clean them up
before renting them out to other tenants.

"I think it's an ordinance that council should pass unanimously,"
Councilman Mac Gray said. "To my knowledge, it is the only ordinance in the
state that provides for civil penalties [for not cleaning up meth labs]."

Under the new law, if a building is found to have been used as a drug lab,
the property owner must keep people away until an environmental consultant
cleans and tests the grounds to make sure the premises are safe for human
habitation. Property owners also must notify the city of the results of the
testing and clean up and provide the city's building inspector with a report.

The property owner is responsible for all costs for these procedures.
Anyone who allows a former drug lab to be inhabited without first cleaning
the site up will face up to a $1,000 fine.

Councilman Danny Haught, chairman of the property board, said he was
grateful for the new authority and hoped it would help rid the city of drug
operations.

In other business, Gray said he wanted to quell rumors that the city would
sell off its water company.

"It seems that every four years or so there's an imaginary 'for sale' sign
that goes up on our water company," he said.

"Only a majority of the voters of the city of St. Albans can authorize a
sale of the water works."

Mayor Richard Milam said he had been receiving several phone calls a day
from citizens about the possibility of the water company being sold. He
said most of these calls were based on rumors and that the issue has never
been discussed officially.

"Nowhere in the minutes of the municipal utility commission does it say
anything about selling the water works," Milam said. "It hasn't been
discussed."

Council members also announced that voters wanting to register for the
upcoming municipal elections have until March 24 to do so. Early voting
will be from March 24 to April 9, and the city's primary election will be
April 12.