John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
After a couple of months of tweaking, a new ordinance has been approved and has been put in place for residents of the Town of Lee. According to the ordinance, the Town Council of the Town of Lee has found that the accumulation of certain materials creates health hazards and attractive nuisances. It also impairs economic welfare of adjoining properties.
The second and final reading of the Town of Lee Clean Community Ordinance took place toward the beginning of the meeting. The ordinance provides a prohibition of unauthorized accumulation of junk (litter, debris, etc.), trash (metals, sweepings, discarded clothing, etc.), garbage (food waste, animal/vegetable matter waste), rubbish (waste paper, boxes, wood, furniture, etc.), abandoned property and unserviceable vehicles. The ordinance also prohibits unlawful nuisances and provides the authority to correct violations by issuing penalties for non-compliance.
The ordinance states that the Town of Lee prohibits an owner of any place within the Town of Lee from allowing the accumulation of any subject listed on front or the "untended growth of weeds, grass, or deleterious, unhealthful growths, or other noxious matter, that may be growing, lying, or located thereon."
The ordinance also prohibits "any person to keep on any residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural property any unserviceable vehicle, unless such unserviceable vehicle is shielded from view, except for a vehicle temporarily stored on private property for the purpose of repair."The Town of Lee Clean Community ordinance allows Town Manager John Anderson to notify the owner or agent, in writing and by mail or hand-delivered, to cut, destroy and/or remove any subject listed on front. Failure, neglect or refusal to cure the matter by the owner or agent within ten days after the receipt of the written notice provided for or within ten days after the date of such notice, will warrant a $25 administrative fee per day until the matter is cured.
If within 30 days the matter is not cured, the town manager shall pay or hire outside services for proper clean-up. In this case, the town manager shall keep an itemized accounting of the expenses of the work completed. A statement of the accounting of expenses and accrued daily administrative fee shall be mailed to the owner of the property.
As for prosecution, according to the ordinance, "It shall be unlawful for any person to violate or fail to comply with any provision of this ordinance and where so specific penalty is provided, therefore, the violation of any provision of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 60 days or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day any violation of any provision of this ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense."
Erika Robinson moved to approve and adopt the ordinance. That motion was seconded by Ronnie Bass and the motion carried, 4-0. The ordinance took effect immediately.
For more information on the ordinance, you may call the Town of Lee City Hall at (850) 971-5867. The next regular scheduled meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 3, at 7 p.m. City Hall is located at 286 County Road 255, in Lee.