A recliner sits on the front porch of a Laurinburg home. City Council ammended the city's nuisance ordinance that will force the homeowner to move the upholstered chair back the living room or to the county dump.
The Laurinburg City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the city's nuisance ordinance making it illegal for city residents to have indoor furniture, appliances and other items that "create an unattractive condition or visually blighted property."
Zoning Officer Brandi Deese says revisions to city code were in response to several complaints received about derelict furniture cluttering yards.
The complaints were far from numerous, Deese said, but the city lacked any means of addressing the concerns so city officials decided to modify the law to handle such occurrences before abandoned sofas took the place of lawn chairs in people's yards.
The new law takes effect Aug. 1.
Enforcement will be complaint driven, Deese said, though the city will act if municipal employees believe health or safety issues are being caused by code violators.
Once a violation has been identified, the city will notify the resident that they have 10 days to address the issue or face a $200 fine and have the city remove the discarded property from the yard at owner's expense.
Those who are fined will have 30 days to pay before a lien is placed on their home.
In a letter that will be included with the next set of city utility bills, city officials explain that the new ordinance "prohibit(s) the use of carports, open porches, decks, open garages or other outdoor areas that are visible to streets or other public areas as a storage or collection place." Items included in the ban includes "boxes, appliances, discarded wood, upholstered furniture, tools, equipment, junk, garbage, broken or discarded machinery and equipment, cans, containers, cardboard and household goods."
For information on the amended nuisance ordinance, contact the City Code Enforcement Officer at 276-8257.
In other business:
• City Council agreed to change how the city's three-year-old hiring freeze will work. The city will have it's workforce capped at 153, with each department having a set number of positions. The prior freeze required department heads to come before council to request any vacancy be filled when hiring someone not already employed by the city.
• Council approved the city police department's continued participation in the Governor Highway Safety Program.
• Jim Willis, owner of Shirt Tales, was appointed to the board of the Laurinburg Downtown Revitalization Corporation.
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