Garbage ordinance tabled

SPIRIT LAKE – It’s not just the sight of garbage that’s drawing complaints in Spirit Lake.

It’s the smell.

Especially the smell of a neighbor’s overripe trash on a hot summer day.

It’s not against the law to have garbage in your yard in Spirit Lake, but under a proposed ordinance everything from backyard garbage heaps to broken-down cars and appliances and even lawns overgrown with noxious weeds could result in a criminal citation, fines and even jail time.

“I do think our community is growing and there is an expectation in the community to make nice neighborhoods,” Councilwoman Shelley Tschida said.

A public hearing was held on the proposed ordinance earlier this month, but Tschida and other council members voted to table the proposal because of concerns that the ordinance left too much up to discretion.

“Some of what you’d hear from other council members is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Tschida said. “I think that’s something we do need to consider.”

Police Chief Wiley Ronnenberg said the city already has several ordinances addressing junk cars and other concerns.

“We haven’t had anything that covers trash and odors,” he said.

The proposed ordinance closes some holes in the city’s current nuisance ordinances, Mayor Roxy Martin said.

Residents have complained about neighbors stacking trash in backyards or in the beds of old pickups and leaving the garbage to sit until it rots and smells and attracts dogs.

Martin said there are complaints about old washers and dryers in yards and broken-down vehicles that sit for months and years.

“Nobody wants to go out on their front porch and look at all of that,” Martin said.

The ordinance characterizes nuisances as:

“Junk. Including scrap metal and wood, trash and other waste.

“Abandoned and inoperable equipment including furniture, stoves, refrigerators and other appliances.

“Vehicles that have been dismantled, don’t run, are unlicensed or unsafe.

“Compost piles that smell or attract rodents or other pests.

“Harmful or septic waste.

“Noxious weeds and plants.

“Snowmobiles, boats, trailers and other recreational vehicles that are parked on any public right of way.

Ronnenberg and the officers in his department would be responsible for enforcing the nuisance ordinance.

Tschida said there’s no question the community supports cleaning up Spirit Lake. Results from a recent community survey show it’s a priority, she said.

“The concern is how (the ordinance) will be put to use,” she said. “Some would like to see the language better defined and easier to understand.”

The council is expected to schedule a workshop to discuss revisions to the proposal and then take the revised proposal to public hearing this summer.