Smith: Village laws under review; updates needed

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Whitehall Mayor Phil Smith

By Matthew Saari

“The times they are a-changin’.”

Phil Smith was elected mayor of Whitehall in March 2017.

That may be a 1964 song and album by Bob Dylan but those words also summarize Mayor Phil Smith’s feelings towards certain local laws of the village of Whitehall.

At a village board meeting last week, Smith announced his intention to revise some local laws that he feels are antiquated.

The zoning regulations and prohibition of open burning, Local Law 1 of 1991, will be the focus of Smith’s attention.

“The zoning document hasn’t been updated in 20 years,” said Smith. “It was a question that needed to be addressed.”

Smith said he was spurred to action recently when an individual approached the village, seeking to purchase a commercial property and renovate it for residential use – except the zoning regulations prohibit a commercial property from being used in a residential manner.

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