County measure on junk vehicles and mobile home parks passes
By Steve Herring
Published in News on January 18, 2017 10:14 AM
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Wayne County commissioner Joe Daughtery speaks during the Wayne County Board of Commissioners meeting, Tuesday. The board unanimously passed new regulations on junk vehicles and mobile home parks.
Changes to county ordinances regulating abandoned and junked vehicles and mobile home parks Tuesday morning were unanimously approved by Wayne County commissioners.
No one spoke against the proposed changes during public hearings before commissioners, but one speaker had to be led back to his seat by deputies when he continued to comment on issues other than the ordinances.
Commissioners also reassured David Edwards, of Belfast, who was concerned as to how the changes would affect an antique postal jeep he is restoring and a boat in his back yard.
"I was reading all of this, and it has me worried a whole lot," he said. "I have an antique postal jeep that is 44 years old, and I have a 22-foot sailboat that is 50 years old. That kind of concerns me that the postal jeep, even though I don't have it running now, I do have license plates on it and insurance on it."
Edwards said he enjoys working on the jeep and boat, and tries to keep his yard clean.
"My boat is in the back," he said. "I don't know if people can see it. But it kind of worries me, and that is why I am here today."
The changes adds exemptions for unlicensed vehicles, antiques, vehicles listed for tax purposes and not constituting a nuisance.
"If it (the jeep) is listed for taxes and the jeep would be termed an antique, as long as it was listed for tax purposes it can be kept," County Planner Chip Crumpler said.
Edwards said the jeep is listed for taxes, but that the value of the boat had reached the point it was no longer listed for taxes.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about, do you Mr. Crumpler?" Chairman Bill Pate said.
Crumpler agreed.
County Manager George Wood said that another change would require that at least two complaints be received before the county would investigate.
"I would hope an officer would use common sense," Pate said.
Tom Drew, a regular speaker at board meetings, strayed from commenting on the abandoned and junked vehicles ordinance, and was told by Pate to confine his comments to the issue at hand.
Drew continued to speak on other issues before Pate hit the gavel and told Drew to "please take a seat."
Drew continued to talk said the board had reneged on allowing comments before a deputy escorted him back to the seat and the hearing continued.
Vernon Bartlett of the Indian Springs community said he supported the changes.
"I had a problem with junked cars," he said. "You all made me clean them up. It is a great thing. I had snakes in them. I am glad you all pushed this issue to get the cars cleaned up. The county looks a lot better."
Steve L. Herring of the Grantham community called the ordinances two of the fairest he had ever seen. Herring was a member of the working group that suggested the changes after reviewing the ordinances.
Changes in the abandoned and junked vehicles ordinance spells out the responsibility of the sheriff and code enforcement officer by defining and including private lots, recorded subdivision lots and mobile home parks.
Language in the proposal defining motor vehicles is pulled straight from the general statutes, which covers "all machines designed or intended to travel on land," Crumpler said.
The proposal adds "on water" to include boats.
Another change adds terminology that the county enforcement officer may determine that a vehicle is abandoned and order it moved following an investigation initiated after receiving two complaints, Crumpler said.
The proposed changes eliminate a vehicle redemption fee set by commissioners and would allow two vehicles to be stored under car covers. Currently the limit is one.
The car cover must be in good repair.
The changes also include extending the time period for removal of a vehicle by the homeowner from seven to 14 days.
No one spoke on the changes to the mobile home park ordinance that include:
* increasing civil penalties for violation from $50 to $100 and changes the amount of time for payment from 10 to 30 days.
* removing a requirement for permanent lot markers for 911 addressing standards since that already is handled with the addressing ordinance standards.
* adding a complaint procedure section regarding the requirement for two different complaints and discretion of official to issue written warning for non-compliance.
* adding the receipt of two complaints of noncompliance against a park to initiate an investigation by the code enforcement officer. If the investigation reveals a violation, the officer has the authority to issue a written warning or civil citation and "may obtain criminal process" for the violation.
The ordinances can be viewed online at www.waynegov.com.