City Council approves nuisance abatement ordinance

By Kate Hayden | khayden@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council passed a new ordinance intended to streamline nuisance abatement among repeatedly ignored properties.

Ordinance 1095 allows the Code Enforcement Department to move in a more timely manner when dealing with nuisances of long grass or vegetation, City Administrator Steve Diers told council members on Monday. The ordinance requires one initial state code notice to be delivered for first-time offenders who do not maintain their lawns; afterwards, subsequent notices will be posted on property doors 48 hours in advance before the city mows the lawn.

“This will speed up the process and hopefully keep lawns from getting out of control,” Diers wrote in the evening’s agenda item.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Charles City Police Department will be closing Jackson and Kelly Streets and possibly Blunt for the National Night Out, Police Chief Hugh Anderson told the council. The department has partnered with other law enforcement and community organizations for five years to host the event, on Aug. 2 in Central Park. Activities this year include letting the public destroy a car that will later be used for Search and Rescue “jaws of life” tool training, Anderson said.

The council approved the request, noting members’ appreciation for the department among difficult national headlines.

“It’s a traumatic time for national police activity,” council member Keith Starr said. “Our group, I think, is tremendously strong and caring and I’d like to show my support for them.”

The council also approved street closure requests for the annual Encouragement Corp Christian Concert, which will take place in Central Park on Aug. 27. This is the 10th year, organizer Gary Quint noted, and the third year the concert has taken place in Central Park.

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