INGALLS — A difference of opinion about how to enforce local and state codes for a business has led the Ingalls town council president to step down from his leadership role.

Tim Green remains on the council but is no longer president, while vice president Chris Bradshaw steps up to replace him.

Green has been on the council for nearly three decades and had been president the past several years.

Green relinquished his leadership role because he was upset with how a local business, Aaron’s Auction Headquarters, 126 S. Meridian St., was being dealt with regarding code enforcement.

Town manager Tim Millikan, who is also town building commissioner and part of the town’s planning commission staff, said the building occupied by Aaron’s Auction is in violation of state and local codes and has asked the business to comply.

The building is zoned for C1-commercial use and also has two vacant grass lots behind the main structure zoned residential, but the structure is lacking key occupancy certification.

Aaron’s Auction moved into the building, owned by Ted Slinkard, at the start of this year without contacting town officials to make sure everything was in order, Millikan said.

“There are steps you have to go through as a business to be established in a municipality, and they’re not following those steps,” Millikan said.

The Ingalls Board of Zoning Appeals approved the business coming to town, but to do so, the business owners needed a “change of status” order to become a Class 1 structure, which allows the public to enter a building.

Millikan said he sent a state fire inspector to Aaron’s Auctions to help with compliance, but the town has no proof requirements have been met.

The business, however, has been operating online auctions, which allows customers to go inside and pick up items at the building. Millikan said operating without a certificate of occupancy violates state and local codes.

Green disagreed with that interpretation and resigned his lead role on council because of the issue.

“It just got to the point where I just didn’t feel some people were treated fairly,” Green said. “It’s arbitrary and capricious, and it’s wrong.”

Millikan welcomes the business to town, he said, and simply wants it to be in full local and state compliance.

Aaron Williams, the business owner, said he’s waiting for state certification but feels he has done his due diligence making building improvements to meet codes.

“It’s been nothing but checklists and forms and nonsense and red tape for six months,” Williams said. “This is my livelihood.”

Millikan contends the improvements were made without proper paperwork, which could create more issues for Williams.

Once the business satisfies local and state certification requirements, Williams fears local residents — including Millikan, who lives in the neighborhood where the auction house is located — will continue to find more issues, Williams said.

In addition, the landowner is facing a hefty expense to create an official parking area for customers, which isn’t feasible because of cost, Williams said.

In the meantime, Millikan said he feels a cease and desist order should be presented to the business, including its online service, until all state and local approvals have been submitted.

Gregg Morelock, town attorney, and Millikan are scheduled to meet to determine their options as soon as possible, but Millikan made one point clearly.

“I’m not going to cut corners or do anything outside of the rules for a board member or anyone else,” Millikan said.

The town is currently reviewing its operations manual, including town codes, Bradshaw said.

It wants to make sure it is in compliance with state regulations and will make decisions based on what is best for the town, he said.