A Busy Night at Aberdeen Alderman Meeting

ABERDEEN, Miss. – (WCBI)With a new emphasis on historic preservation, downtown renovations and improved housing, Aberdeen is bringing is building codes into the 21st century.

Tuesday night, aldermen approved adopting the 2012 International Building Codes, replacing the 1996 standards that now are in use.

The Board of Alderman plan have set the amount of fines for violators at the next hearing

Leaders have spent months in public hearings, and meetings with consultants.

City staff and local builders, electricians and contractors are all now informed on what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.

The new standards go into effect in 30 days after it is advertised.

Aberdeen leaders table talks about a public referendum on how the Chief of Police position should be filled.

While Aldermen did discuss the issue, leaders did not vote on the issue. The Attorney General’s office handed down an opinion a couple of weeks ago, advising alderman to hold a public vote on whether the police chief should be hired by city officials or elected by voters.

It also stated that the petition submitted should be certified. Chief Henry Randle began circulating a petition last December, after alderman decided to begin hiring the chief at the end of his term in 2016.