Elberta council member looking to revise town’s nuisance ordinance

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 11/22/21

ELBERTA - Elberta town council member Teresa Newton voiced her desire to rewrite the town’s nuisance ordinance during the November meeting. She hopes to present a draft of the revised ordinance to …

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Elberta council member looking to revise town’s nuisance ordinance

Posted

ELBERTA - Elberta town council member Teresa Newton voiced her desire to rewrite the town’s nuisance ordinance during the November meeting. She hopes to present a draft of the revised ordinance to the council for discussion at a later date. Town Attorney Josh Myrick said if Newton sends bullet points on what she’d like to see included in a potential new ordinance he will assist in formatting it. An attorney reviews all town ordinances before they are passed, said Mayor Jim Hamby.

For months, Newton has voiced her desire to see unkept properties brought under the town’s nuisance ordinance. Some areas Newton would like to see addressed include empty houses, overgrown grass and abandoned vehicles. During the town’s August meeting, Myrick said to proceed forward with addressing violations to the nuisance ordinance the town would need to designate a code enforcement officer, most likely a member of Public Works. He also mentioned updating the town’s nuisance ordinance.

“I don’t think the nuisance ordinance is specific enough to cover what I understand (Newton) is talking about,” he said during the August meeting. “I think that maybe some more specificity would be required before we even want to think about trying to enforce the nuisance ordinance, because it is rather vague.”

Newton said at the November meeting that she has since worked out possible ways to make the nuisance ordinance more specific. She hopes to bring the first draft of the ordinance before the council at a future workshop.

For more on the town of Elberta, visit townofelberta.com.