Frisco Continues Path Toward Amortization With Board Meeting Tonight

The Frisco Board of Adjustment is meeting tonightbeginning at 6 pm. Usually that wouldn't warrant much notice except for the resident who might want to put a different kind of fence up around his or her house and needs the permission of this Board to do so. But tonight is different. It's the first time the Board gets enveloped by the process of amortization against the Exide lead smelter that the city seems to be pursuing as of last week's historic city council vote. At issue is the Council's request for the board to determine when the smelter became a "non-conforming use." That's important because it's the date a city needs to begin amortization – the forced recouping of investment in the property ending in a scheduled closure. It also affects how much depreciation a city can subtract from the value of the property and facility. From the looks of things, tonight's meeting is only the first round and the result will probably be the announcement of a future hearing date. The hearing allows the city to make its case for the date its chosen, and allows Exide to argue that it's either the wrong date, or that the whole exercise is unnecessary because it's in compliance with the city's zoning ordinances. Then the Board rules. That may take a more than a couple of weeks but kudos to the City of Frisco for following though so swiftly on the heels of last Tuesday's council meeting. It really does look like the City has found its backbone.