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Fines, laws to be tightened for junkyards, land

CHESTER – By the beginning of December, city officials will look to tighten its laws and fines regarding unsightly properties and junkyards in the city.

City Council last week approved a motion to enter into legislation an amended property maintenance and junkyard ordinance that will decrease the time limit residents have to clean up their properties before they are brought into municipal court.

Under the proposed ordinance, approved unanimously by council, residents who are found to have unsightly or nuisance properties will be sent a letter, indicating that they have 10 days to clean up their properties. Failure to do so will result in a citation for the property, and any future violations also will result in citations without warning.

“What they agreed to was that they would give 10 days to get it cleaned up and then a citation would be ordered,” city clerk Marlene Fleming said. “Once you receive a citation for that property, any noncleanup will not have to go through the warning. It’ll just be a citation.

“So in October if you’re told you have to mow your grass or weeds, and you do it, and then in November it’s the same problem, instead of giving you the 10-day notice, they’ll issue you a citation and you’ll go into court.”

According to Fleming, the city’s current policy is for the city to issue a letter stating that the property owner has 30 days to clean up the mess. If no action was taken by the owner or if done partially, another 30-day notice is mailed. She said that council believes that this is not effective and takes too long.

“The current system of giving someone a 30-day notice and then, if they don’t have it done or they do it partially and they tell them they have to finish it off, 30 days later it’s still not done, then they have to give them another 30-day notice, and they’re saying it doesn’t work. It takes too long,” Fleming said.

City Solicitor Michael Adams will prepare the ordinance for council, who is expected to vote on the matter at the next regular meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 3.

In other business:

¯ Council announced that scheduled power outages are planned today and Tuesday in Chester.

¯ Fourth of July Committee Chairperson Susan Hineman announced the second-annual Festival of Trees will be held Friday through Sunday at the Chester Municipal Building. A total of 26 trees will be on display during the three-day event, with all trees to be auctioned off Sunday.

¯ Council approved a resolution for a request for the city to continue the pilot program for home rule should the state continue to allow that to happen.

Also in council-related matters, a new finance committee has been set up to oversee how money is being spent in the city, with that committee consisting of Councilmen Tom Paisley and Ed Wedgewood and Assistant City Clerk Tara Ayers. Wedgewood also reported he will look to update and revise the city’s employee handbook.

In addition, council approved a request from Councilman/Street Superintendent Steve Shuman to purchase winter salt material and cold patch to fill potholes.

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