Council to discuss controlled burns

John Walker
The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN May 17, 2009 10:27 pm

— Parts of the Duncan City Code dealing with controlled burns may be altered at the next City Council meeting.
During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Terry Houston, a representative of a local construction company, said that the company is not able to burn debris on its property because of the current ordinance.
“We have no problems working with you at all,” Houston told the council. “Our question is what should we do?”
The company owns 25 acres of land along the railroad tracks and Martin Luther King Avenue and has been unable to burn its brush piles because the land is zoned as industrial.
Duncan City Councilman Rickey Mayes asked Houston if the company plans on burning in a pit. Mayes said he has seen companies bulldoze debris into large pits for burning, which is safer than burning on the surface.
Houston said that the company just wanted to know what it needed to do to be able to burn the debris.
“We probably have 35 to 50 semi loads of debris we would have to haul off if we can’t burn it,” Houston said. “The cost would be high.”
According to the current city code, the land will need to be rezoned as agricultural in order for burning to take place on the property.
Duncan City Manager Clyde Shaw said the current burn restrictions were put in place after the massive fires a few years ago.
“We have fairly restrictive burn rules,” Shaw said. “But we can still allow a variance.”
Duncan City Attorney Jim Frieda cautioned the council, however, that if an exception, or variance, were to be made to the rule, then it would apply to everyone in a similar situation.
Frieda suggested that the council consider making a variance that will restrict the exception to burning with acceptable supervision from the Fire Department.
The council decided to take no action, but asked Houston to collaborate with Duncan Fire Chief Larry Sullins on an acceptable exception to the current rule and the council will put it on the agenda for consideration at its next meeting.