Help a Disabled Veteran and his business
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I am a Service-Disabled Veteran (Medically Retired) and I own and operate a business in City of Petal Mississippi. Been here at our location since 2013. I have PTSD and with real bad Anxiety and Depression, so I don’t do group situations. I only go to work (My business) and home. I do this to support my family and I (Wife and four children). Last year I started to do work to my business lot as all properties surrounding me and the road itself are higher elevation than mine and all storm water run off into my lot causing it to flood into a lake. Seems in the last few years the amount of rain fall has increased and is now causing a problem as the water has no where to go except flood past where it used to not and now stays and does not dry up.
In October of 2018 I started building up a part of this area to the height of the surrounding lot. Didn’t even get it all the way to the property line before I was told to stop by the City’s Code Enforcer stated to me he received a complaint from a neighboring property that I was pushing water off on them. This is not the case and all photo and videos plus documents with the City and State are posted at www.revitalizationsllc.com. I complied and stop all work. Asked the Code Enforcer what step do I need to do now. Stated I needed to submit a building permit so I did and was submitted October 31, 2018.
I awaited a response and did not get a response from the Building Department of the City (Only two Employees Kerry Smith Code Enforcer and Amy Heath Department Head). I did request a meeting with Department head on November 1st but never got contacted. So January 17, 2019 I went to the office and was told as soon as I walked in by Kerry Smith my permit did not get approved. I had to request the document back. When I received it back it only stated in red marker “Cannot Approve”. No response, no reasons why or options. I asked the Code Enforcer Kerry Smith why and he said I’d have to talk to his boss Amy Heath who is never available or in the office.
I then submitted email to City’s Mayor Hal Marx CC’ing 5 of the 7 alderman (other two don’t have emails on City’s website www.cityofpetal.com) and both Building department employees. Letting the Mayor know there is a problem with communication and that his employees are not following the laws of the city. Mayor came back with several things to do but still did not address the problem, would not answer my questions at first, I had to ask for a clear answer before they would give me one, nor want to meet in person to correct the issue. I have complied with what they required, even asked the questions and tried to handle this at the lowest level – Building Department, then Mayor.
Now I am having to go in front of the board which is against my request of special accommodations that the City is supposed to follow as per American Disablities Act. On February 20, 2019 the Mayor on the steps of City Hall after receiving a Letter from the Building Department telling me again to stop what I’m doing and to fill in my Detention Pond that I started to build on February 7th after reading the Law (Ordinance) stating that I can build my own and do not need to submit a plan to City he stated he does not want my business in Petal.
I’ve created this Go-Fund me to help with all aspects of Fighting the City of Petal, and helping relocate my business to a place that wants a Disabled Veteran’s Business and the tax revenue that it generates.
The current Petal administration has run several businesses out of Petal and now has a vendetta against me and my business because I’ve told them they are wrong in several emails, and I’m not just sitting down and being quiet anymore. Issue I’ve been having wasn’t made public till February 6th after the Code Enforcer showed up with MDEQ about the Concrete (State Approved Beneficial Fill) I’ve had piled up since before I was told to stop back in October of 2018 and calling it a make shift Landfill. The state said I could use the concrete as it is beneficial fill. If you would like to see the whole story you can search the hashtag notthefriendlycity or reference the shop website or my personal fb page, Jeff Sapp, in the problems with the city with our business lot album.
Thank you for reading and any support you can offer even if it’s just sharing for us.
In October of 2018 I started building up a part of this area to the height of the surrounding lot. Didn’t even get it all the way to the property line before I was told to stop by the City’s Code Enforcer stated to me he received a complaint from a neighboring property that I was pushing water off on them. This is not the case and all photo and videos plus documents with the City and State are posted at www.revitalizationsllc.com. I complied and stop all work. Asked the Code Enforcer what step do I need to do now. Stated I needed to submit a building permit so I did and was submitted October 31, 2018.
I awaited a response and did not get a response from the Building Department of the City (Only two Employees Kerry Smith Code Enforcer and Amy Heath Department Head). I did request a meeting with Department head on November 1st but never got contacted. So January 17, 2019 I went to the office and was told as soon as I walked in by Kerry Smith my permit did not get approved. I had to request the document back. When I received it back it only stated in red marker “Cannot Approve”. No response, no reasons why or options. I asked the Code Enforcer Kerry Smith why and he said I’d have to talk to his boss Amy Heath who is never available or in the office.
I then submitted email to City’s Mayor Hal Marx CC’ing 5 of the 7 alderman (other two don’t have emails on City’s website www.cityofpetal.com) and both Building department employees. Letting the Mayor know there is a problem with communication and that his employees are not following the laws of the city. Mayor came back with several things to do but still did not address the problem, would not answer my questions at first, I had to ask for a clear answer before they would give me one, nor want to meet in person to correct the issue. I have complied with what they required, even asked the questions and tried to handle this at the lowest level – Building Department, then Mayor.
Now I am having to go in front of the board which is against my request of special accommodations that the City is supposed to follow as per American Disablities Act. On February 20, 2019 the Mayor on the steps of City Hall after receiving a Letter from the Building Department telling me again to stop what I’m doing and to fill in my Detention Pond that I started to build on February 7th after reading the Law (Ordinance) stating that I can build my own and do not need to submit a plan to City he stated he does not want my business in Petal.
I’ve created this Go-Fund me to help with all aspects of Fighting the City of Petal, and helping relocate my business to a place that wants a Disabled Veteran’s Business and the tax revenue that it generates.
The current Petal administration has run several businesses out of Petal and now has a vendetta against me and my business because I’ve told them they are wrong in several emails, and I’m not just sitting down and being quiet anymore. Issue I’ve been having wasn’t made public till February 6th after the Code Enforcer showed up with MDEQ about the Concrete (State Approved Beneficial Fill) I’ve had piled up since before I was told to stop back in October of 2018 and calling it a make shift Landfill. The state said I could use the concrete as it is beneficial fill. If you would like to see the whole story you can search the hashtag notthefriendlycity or reference the shop website or my personal fb page, Jeff Sapp, in the problems with the city with our business lot album.
Thank you for reading and any support you can offer even if it’s just sharing for us.
Organizer
Jeff Sapp
Organizer
Petal, MS
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