Hearing Held On Proposed Nuisance Ordinance Changes

Stephens County begins the process for making a few changes to its nuisance ordinance.

A public hearing on the proposed changes took place at the start of Tuesday’s Stephens County Commission meeting.

County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said that the proposed changes have to do with putting more strength into policies approved by the county commission last year for the county’s trash convenience sites.

“You have all adopted some policies in an open meeting for out at the convenience sites,” said Ayers. “A 10-bag limit at the convenience sites, no dumping outside the gates, and household garbage only and we have a lot of situations, especially at White Pine and Tower Road, that there is a lot of dumping going on.”

Ayers said that the marshal tries to follow up on those problems of illegal dumping at the convenience sites and people violating those policies.

However, she said that because those policies are not in an ordinance, that makes it harder for the marshal.

“Our marshal is going out and trying to enforce the policies,” said Ayers. “He cannot write citations unless they are adopted into the ordinance.”

Ayers said the larger nuisance ordinance has been in place some time, but they still received some concerns regarding the overall language of that ordinance, especially from the agricultural community.

She noted that agricultural is largely exempted from a number of the items of the nuisance ordinance.

Nobody commented on the proposed nuisance ordinance changes at Tuesday’s public hearing.

The proposed changes must come back before the county commission for approval.