Ordinance aimed at cleaning yards passed

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
The Russellville City Council passed an ordinance Monday night that will limit the amount of time inoperable cars can remain on a homeowner's property.
The ordinance changed the definition of an inoperable vehicle to mean "any vehicle in a state of disassembly, or in the process of being stripped, dismantled for a period of 30 days, or any other condition that renders the vehicle inoperable of being used for its designed purpose or any vehicle that is not currently licensed as required by law or that is kept or stored in a manner to constitute a health, safety, or fire hazard is also defined as an inoperable vehicle."
Residents previously had up to six months to remove inoperable vehicles.
Monday night's action paves the way for city officials to begin enforcing the ordinance much sooner.
Police Chief Chris Hargett said the ordinance should not apply to property owners who are repairing vehicles. However, those that are obviously not being restored, should be removed.
Based on the adopted ordinance, residents will receive a citation after an inoperable vehicle is not repaired after 30 days. If the vehicle remains on the property for another 20 working days, the owner will incur a fine of no more than $100 for the first offense; $200 for the second offense and $500 for each offense afterward.
In other business, council members: