REEDSVILLE – A continuing battle about litter, trash and useful property dominated the Monday Reedsville council meeting.
For more than a month, council has debated whether items on a porch on Robert Stone Way is litter or trash.
On May 1, council took a phone vote to give the residents on an additional 10 business days to clean their property, which has been discussed at previous meetings.
On May 22 Mayor Jason Titus told council members the residents had cleaned enough stuff out of the carport to get a second car inside. He said they covered the other items that were stored so a fine was not imposed.
At that time council discussed making their litter/garbage ordinance stronger.
Titus said town Officer Paul Rowan drove past the house with County Litter Officer Jay Sowers. He said Sowers told Rowan the residents can’t be fined for having “ugly decoration.”
At this week’s meeting town attorney Mark E. Gaydos met with council. He told them their litter/garbage ordinance was relatively close to other ordinances he researched.
“I caution, you cant be too restrictive,” he warned. “You can’t legislate taste.”
Councilman Jeff Stone questioned the legitimacy of having a mattress and a dresser on the porch. He was told by Gaydos as long as the furniture was useful it was not trash.
“We have to have something (ordinance) with teeth,” Councilwoman Renee Stone said.
“You’re getting back to what you like,” Councilman Greg Burke said.
Councilman Scott Williams said he moved his furniture out on his porch when he was working on his house and when his basement flooded.
“If it takes six months that’s a problem,” Renee Stone said.
Rowan stood and said he wanted to speak.
“I spoke with them (homeowners). They always did what I asked them to do. I feel they are being singled out. I went and looked at their belongings they still had value to them.
“Who am I to say what’s rubbish? It might be their most valuable item. That’s why I brought in litter control. He (Litter Control Officer Jay Sowers) deals with it daily. I bounced my thoughts off him and he bounced his off me.
“I want to go home at night thinking I did my best for the town. It all falls back on doing your job and doing it right.”
Gaydos agreed.
“These words he (Rowan) spoke, that’s the best way. He has the respect of the community. He’s not a jack boot Nazi,” Gaydos said.
“Before you write that ticket, you make sure they can move their stuff. You don’t just run in and say ‘your property looks like hell.’
They are trying to resolve this. God, that’s good people to have.”
Renee Stone asked why the town has ordinances if they’re not enforceable.
“As a town we have to have good relations with the public. If we don’t, they’ll be fighting us,” Rowan said. “We all need to come together and become a unified town.”
Gaydos told council members they could be as restrictive as they wanted to be. He said the ordinances could be stronger.
“You can say you are going to charge a $700 fine for a dead flower in a yard. You can say everyone has to put in plastic flowers and tell them what colors the flowers can be.”
“I don’t know why you people think this is funny; it’s devaluing our property,” Renee Stone said.
Gaydos said if council takes someone to court over a public safety question they will probably win the case.
“If it’s because you think something is unsightly, you will fall on your face,” he said.
Gaydos said Rowan can’t give someone a ticket unless the person is breaking the law.
“I don’t see a reason to change the ordinance if there’s no political will to do anything,” Renee Stone said.
“If you start to litigate taste against public safety, you’ll lose,” Gaydos said.
He told council to decide what changes they wanted in the ordinance and send them to him.
The next meeting of the Reedsville Town Council will be 6:30 p. m. June 22.
