Carbo Reassuring on His Last Day: He’s Confident of Department’s Ability

By Vivian Austin, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

Feb. 1–GAUTIER — George Cargo said his departure would not stall building permits and code enforcement done by the Gautier Planning Department.

“The whole department is in good shape,” Carbo said Wednesday, his last day on the job. “We just hired a couple of new inspectors, as well as some code-enforcement officers using a state grant.”

Carbo was hired as community services/city planning director in September, but resigned Jan. 25 following the termination of the city clerk and resignations of the deputy clerk and a city clerk administrative assistant. He plans to repair his storm-damaged home in Gulfport and volunteer with nonprofit agencies before returning to work.

Carbo said the hiring of a building official and the ultimate increase to four inspectors would return building-permit lead time to the average two-week period instead of the month delay now. “We have another building inspector starting next Monday who has experience in plan review so that we can make that as citizens come to rebuild their houses and submit their new home plans we can get those out in a timely manner.”

Until a new planning director is hired, the building official will handle overall decisions for housing permits. “There is a network among building officials here on the Coast, and so that if he does have any questions, and he’s done this in the past, he’ll talk to the building official in Pascagoula (and other cities) about common issues,” Carbo said.

Code enforcement, which helps with planning, will continue because the process is geared to work regardless of a director. Code-enforcement ordinances are being updated because they are limited in what the city can enforce, such as work done on construction sites, he said.

“The big thing now is the renewal of FEMA trailers,” Carbo said. “They’ve started already going out and posting (notices) on each of the FEMA trailers or privately owned trailers that are in people’s yards that it’s time to renew their permits.”

Renewal is for residents who have not moved into permanent housing and need extensions on the temporary homes beyond Feb. 28. Residents must complete a two-page application found at the planning office, then go before the Gautier Planning Commission for extension approval.

“We are trying to find out the status of where they are in getting back into permanent housing,” Carbo said.

The commission tonight will consider extension on the FEMA trailers at the Santa Maria RV Park. The City Council will make the final decision.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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