Councilmember: Put teeth into nuisance law

Electric City will put some teeth into its nuisance ordinance in January if Councilmember Brad Parrish has his way.

Parish asked at the last city council meeting Dec. 10 that the issue of cleaning up properties in the city be put on the agenda at the city’s next council meeting, Jan. 14.

Parrish told Mayor Jerry Sands that he spent the afternoon driving throughout the city recently and was shocked at some of the sights he saw.

He said he would like to discuss the city’s nuisance ordinance and put “more teeth” into it and get things cleaned up.

Mayor Sands said that nuisance officer Gary Haven has been doing a good job working with homeowners in encouraging them to clean up their properties. Haven gets $7,192 a year, according to the city’s budget.

Electric City, in most cases, has taken a more casual approach, using persuasion rather than legal action to accomplish cleanup of weeds and trash.

Mayor Sands pointed out that the city has used legal action and has a $5,000 lien against one property along the highway main street that dissects the city.

“We’ll get our money when the probate on the property is complete,” Sands stated.

Parrish wants to be more aggressive and make faster progress. When people enter the city they see all the unkempt properties, Parrish argued.