Riverside council debates nuisance abatement

    The Riverside City Council discussed the issue of nuisance abatement at its regular meeting Monday at City Hall. The council debated how to encourage residents to improve the look of their property so it complies with the city?s ordinances against dilapidated buildings, junk vehicles and tall grass, among other things.

    Councilman Rodney Waldschmidt said that the council has tried to address the problem of nuisances in the past by sending letters to the offending residents, which often did not work.

    ?People would say that they had something going on, and that they would have it cleaned up by a certain date, but they didn?t,? said Waldschmidt. ?When we say this is your final warning, we need to go out and take care of it.?

     City Administrator Tina Thomas said one of the issues is who decides which properties are in violation of the ordinance.

    ?It always comes back to the city staff enforcing it. We can go out and find a lot of different places where the ordinances need to be enforced. Does the council need to go out and make the list and we?ll enforce it from that point?? she asked. 

    Public Works Supervisor Brad Herrig remarked that the council has often approached violators about the nuisance they cause but does not follow through with enforcement. Herrig said that he would help make a list of violators if the council is serious about enforcing its ordinances.  

    ?I?ve been dragged through the mud on this before,? said Herrig. ?I have no problem giving my opinion on what to do, but I don?t want to get kicked around and have people stop in my driveway and holler at me again. Otherwise, I don?t want to have anything to do with it. I have no problem working on a list and having you guys double-check it, but this is about the fourth time that we?ve gone down this road, and it always ends up getting dropped.?

    ?Don?t you think we have to go ahead with it?? asked Councilwoman Betty Kaalberg.

    ?My opinion is yes,? responded Herrig. ?Now, are we going to look for anyone who has a wheelbarrow and a couple of two-by-fours behind their shed? No, because that?s normal stuff. We?re looking at some of these places that we?ve dealt with the last three times that we?ve done this that haven?t done anything since then. We have everything in place, but it always falls off at the end when it gets mean.?

For the full story, see the May 4 edition of The Washington Evening Journal