Ritzville council updates nuisance ordinance

RITZVILLE -- The City Council amended the nuisance ordinance to provide for more effective enforcement of penalties during its July 5 meeting.

Ordinance No. 2159 pertains to the unsightly or unsanitary conditions on property within city limits which might be a detriment to public health or safety.

The main change to the code is that if the city incurs costs in abating a nuisance violation and the liable party doesn’t pay in 30 days, it can either send the bill to a collection agency or the city clerk can assess a lien on the property.

There is still a “show cause” hearing required before the city can take action on a violating property, unless the city determines that the infraction is an “imminent or immediate danger” to the public, under the ordinance.

Discussions on the issue have been taking place for the past few months regarding abatement procedures and how to effectively cover the costs of correcting these infractions, as was reported by the Journal in April.

Now, the council’s plans to give the ordinance new “teeth” have come to fruition. The amendment offers an answer to complaints by local residents such as Kellen Hays, who spoke at a June 21 council meeting about an unoccupied house on his street being so dilapidated that it could be a danger to local children.

Another notable change to the code is the addition of excess snow and ice on sidewalks and the plowing of snow and ice onto sidewalks and streets to the list of nuisances. Owners of property next to sidewalks must clear the sidewalk of snow and ice within 24 hours of the last snowfall.

The updated ordinance is set to go into effect five days after its publishing in the Journal.