Patton amends nuisance regulation

The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed Wednesday to change the enforcement of nuisance violations in the township.

The issue was raised during the last board meeting on Feb. 10 when Patton Township police Chief John Petrick proposed a change to the nuisance regulations regarding unregistered, uninsured junk vehicles on residents’ property.

Under the current regulation, Petrick said, if police respond to a nuisance call of this type, the owner is given a warning notice and has 72 hours to correct the issue. Police will return after 72 hours and if the issue is not resolved, a $35 fine is imposed.

According to Petrick, the police have administered several warnings to a particular location. He did not reveal the address, but said once the warning is issued, the problem will be resolved, only for police to turn around and receive another call a week later.

“It’s almost like a constant freebie,” he said. “It’s problematic for the neighbors to see the recurring issues.”

The regulation change brought before the board Wednesday proposed that if a violation on a specific premises is discovered within 90 days of a warning being issued, an ordinance violation will be automatically administered.

“Once you’re aware of a violation, for the next 90 days, there’s no longer a warning,” Petrick said. “You’ve been warned.”

One resident raised the issue of parking along certain streets, saying vehicles are often parked in front of mailboxes, preventing residents from receiving mail.

Unfortunately, township Manager Doug Erickson said, as inappropriate as that may be, there are no township ordinances preventing that and nothing the post office can do either.

State vehicle codes guide the township on what constitutes a violation, he said, and while some are well-known — no parking in front of fire hydrants, driveways or intersections — it is a limited list. Any township-mandated restrictions would be posted along the street.

Township solicitor Betsy Dupuis suggested that the board consider future legislative action to handle the undesirable parking issue.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Patton amends nuisance regulation."