09/16/2003 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 9/16/20(!3 observations from the Police and Building Depts. of conflicts between Section 555.03 for noise prohibitions and 741.03 of the Business Code. This ordinance previously generated considerable discussions regazding the unloading and loading by truckers in azeas within close proximity to residential neighborhoods, and the significant abuse of such deliveries taking place at all hours of the night and day. After much discussion and with the consensus to determine appropriate hours and more importantly make these hours consistent throughout the city's codes to insure better enforcement, the motion read as follows: 1) to review the penalty provisions for violation of this ordinance and to include the appropriate penalty within the ordinance itself; 2) remove any reference to metric measurements as a matter of clazification in the ordinance; 3) to make the starting time for unloading and loading trucks within 250 feet of a residential neighborhood, and the utilization of related equipment to accomplish that task to be consistently written throughout the ordinance to be no earlier than 7:30 a.m. The committee unanimously recommended referring back to the Law Departmem to address these issues. ^ The committee, along with the residents present, discussed the issue of the lack of sufficient property maintenance in the city. The discussion began with Mrs. Kasler's reminder that Council appropriated funds on June 17 for the hiring of a building inspector/property maintenance inspector. Although some Civil Service issues azose, they were not insurmountable, and the committee is concerned with the administrative delay in this process of hiring a new person for this position. The committee was told that the hiring would now take place no later than October 1. In the meantime, complairrts of residential property maintenance have been mounting. These complaints aze referred to the Safety Director. The Safety Director said that he or his assistant determine whether an immediate safety issue exists and that the complaints other than safety issues aze placed on a log sheet and are not responded to due to the lack of personnel. He further stated that, when a property maintenance inspector is finally in place, his time will be determined by the Building Commissioner. The Safety Director was reminded that the intent of the majority of Council in funding that position was to insure attention to property maintenance issues. The concern of the residents present was both specific and general. Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Kahn of Catrterbury Woods were the most vocal in expressing their concern, not only for residences in their own subdivision, but also for the deterioration of the city in general. Their specific complaint was initiated in May and, in their minds, has not yet. been appropriately addressed. Further, they felt communication from the administration has been less than satisfactory, referring to their issue as a matter of personal taste and stating that the language in our code does not permit enforcement of the issues in question. The committee was somewhat outraged at these responses and expressed concern that legal conclusions were being made by members of the administration outside of the Law Department. If problems exist in the code which would prevent this city from performing its duty and services to the citizens effectively, then a recommendation should be made to Council to appropriately amend the code. The Law Director confirmed that he had received no such recommendation, nor had he received any expression of concern about the code and its enforceability from anyone at City Hall. Once again, significant discussion "~"` was held regazding this issue with the residents present expressing significant concern 7