September 12, 2023 |
Photo – Tall weeds near a fence – Bigfoot99 file photo
Hanna residents are expected to show up and speak out tonight against a proposed change to the town’s nuisance ordinance.
Hanna officials are preparing to pass an amendment to the ordinance regarding neglected properties. The amendment redefines what is considered junk by town hall. In the amended ordinance, items such as tree branches and firewood are classified as a nuisance. Failure to remedy a nuisance will now result in a $750 a day fine, a substantial increase from the current daily fine of $100. The amendment also allows the town to hire a code enforcement officer separate from the marshal’s office.
Mayor Jon Ostling read the amended ordinance at the July 11th Hanna town council meeting.
Per Wyoming state law, all ordinance changes must be read during three separate public meetings before being passed. Hanna’s amended nuisance ordinance passed on the first reading on July 11th.
The second reading occurred at the August 8th Hanna town council meeting. During the meeting, a Hanna resident said he felt the 650% fine increase was excessive. Councilman Jason Nordquist said the full $750 daily fine was unlikely to ever be imposed.
Mayor Ostling said the town will work with residents if they make a good faith effort to correct nuisance issues.
At last month’s Hanna town council, the same resident said the current nuisance ordinance is never enforced. Councilman Sam Sikes agreed. Councilman Sikes said the former mayor refused to invoke the ordinance.
Mayor Ostling said he is aware of properties in town that violate the nuisance ordinance. The mayor said without a marshal or a code enforcement officer, the town’s hands are tied.
Councilman Nordquist, along with Mayor Ostling and Councilman Sikes, said the worst offenders don’t live in the town. Councilman Nordquist said the amended ordinance is designed to address properties flagrantly violating the town’s rules.
Councilman Nordquist also said the amended ordinance will be used to tackle the town’s abundance of dilapidated and abandoned homes.
Mayor Ostling said a lack of enforcement was the reason behind most of the alterations to the nuisance ordinance. The mayor said the town’s previous code enforcement officer answered to the marshal. Without a marshal, Mayor Ostling said the town was unable to pursue code violations.
Former Hanna marshal Ted Kranenberg joined the Sheriff’s Office in March. Since that time, the town has not had a dedicated law enforcement officer. Councilman Roger Hawks said the amended ordinance will allow the town to hire an independent code inspector.
The amended nuisance ordinance was passed on second reading at the August 8th town council meeting. The third, and final, reading is scheduled for tomorrow evening.
Some Hanna residents are not happy about the ordinance change. Many locals are elderly and on a fixed income. Social media posts claim the increased fines are designed to supplement the town’s yearly budget at the expense of vulnerable residents. People said property owners unable to clean their yards, either because of limited finances or infirmity, will be unfairly impacted by the amended ordinance.
Others see the expanded definition of what constitutes a nuisance to be too broad. They expressed concern over being fined for having firewood or motion activated lights in their yards.
Over the weekend, at least two Hanna residents went door to door collecting signatures on a petition to block the amendments.
It appears that Hanna officials are aware of the backlash. Tomorrow’s meeting has been moved from the town hall to the Hanna Recreation Center. The rec center will accommodate far more attendees than the town hall meeting room.
Tonight’s Hanna town council meeting is 6:30pm at the Hanna Recreation Center at 8000 Highway 72 in Hanna.
