Council Wants More Teeth In Nuisance Ordinance

FARMINGTON — City Council members agreed last week that the city’s nuisance ordinances that regulate unsightly yards and inoperable vehicles need a more expensive penalty.

The current ordinances, both approved in 2001, say that a person convicted of violating the ordinances can be fined a fee from $50 to $500 for each offense and also required to reimburse the city for any expenses incurred in enforcing the city laws.

Co u n c i l members discussed problems in the city at the January meeting and brought up additional violations meeting.

Alderwoman Sherry Mathews said she has neighbors who leave out trash cans.

“Their trash cans are permanently by the driveway and street,” Mathews said. “They just take their trash bags out to the cans each week.”

Council member Brenda Cunningham said she has neighbors who do not maintain their yards.

Public Works Director Dan Ledbetter told of a Farmington resident who had 35 bags of trash on the front porch.

Mayor Ernie Penn asked the aldermen to email their “hot spots” to City Hall and

at

the

Feb.

11 staff would work on updating the city’s nuisance ordinances.

One suggestion was to place more of the responsibility on landowners of rental property.

Ledbetter recommended increasing the fine but Cunningham pointed out that the city has to levy the fine to make it worthwhile.

“We’ve got to charge them. We have to do it,” Cunningham said.

Farmington has two nuisance ordinances, one that regulates inoperable vehicles and the other a property owner’s premises. A third ordinance requires all city residences to have domestic trash service set up with Waste Management.