by April Scheinoha
Reporter
Enforcement. The problem has been festering for a while – much like the junk vehicles and messy yards that started the problem in the first place.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, June 30, council members heard an update on how the Thief River Falls Police Department plans to approach properties with junk vehicles and messy yards.
In the past, property owners received a letter, alerting them that their property is considered to be a public nuisance. They would then be given a time frame to abate the problem. Follow-up would occur if needed and, in some instances, the property owner was cited if the problems weren’t abated.
Now, police are planning to meet face-to-face with the offenders and have a conversation with them about the problems and how those problems can be resolved. Deputy Police Chief Jaeger Bellows said a reasonable time frame would then be determined as to when the property would be cleaned up. He noted it could be a matter of a week.
Council members continue to be concerned about how the city can be assured the offending properties will be cleaned up. In the past, some offenders didn’t clean up their properties, were cited for public nuisance and paid the fine without the problem being addressed.
“This has been one of my pet peeves for the past seven and a half years,” said council member Jerald Brown. He added that he asked now-former Police Chief Dick Wittenberg many times if something were wrong with the city ordinance. If so, Brown asked Wittenberg what needed to be changed to ensure enforcement. However, he said the council received excuses.
“We’ve let so much go on in this city,” said Brown, who also referred to campers and boats parked on streets for long periods of time. He cited the long grass growing in the cracks underneath those vehicles as the evidence.
Brown also voiced concerns about an unidentified location where someone had been sleeping in a junk car. The car was moved a year ago, he said, but a pile of garbage remains on the property. He said the pile includes a container of antifreeze, which could be consumed by children.
Mayor Brian Holmer and Investigator Chief Marissa Adam, who is now serving as interim police chief, replied that police were aware of that situation.
Council members hope that the city will, in the future, require offenders to appear in court if they fail to abate the problems on their properties.
Council member Rachel Prudhomme said the City Attorney’s Office could issue a long-form complaint, summoning offenders to court. That way, the city would be more likely to ensure compliance.
“We need something with teeth,” said council member Don Sollom.
Council members were informed about an upcoming training session with the League of Minnesota Cities in Thief River Falls. LMC will present a training Tuesday, Sept. 29 to council members about Open Meeting Law, good governance, and standards for email and social media.