Town takes no action on junk autos

Sylvia Austin started her campaign to change the town ordinance for abandoned and nuisance vehicles at the January 2007 town meeting. She has diligently presented her case to the town board every month since then. She has proven that the town board will listen to its’ citizens.
Austin is concerned about vehicles that are abandoned or appear to be abandoned. According to Austin when the grass grows around them they not only look bad, but they can be full of mosquitoes and rats and become a health hazard. She said the junk vehicles also perpetuate crime. One homeowner next to an abandoned vehicle has had three lawn mowers stolen.
At the town meeting earlier this month the board agreed to hold a special meeting to discuss the issue. On Tuesday, May 22 they met. Present at the meeting were town commissioners Betty Willis, Billy Matthews, Clara Debnam, Terry Newsom, Al Cooke and Mayor Mason Hawfield. Also attending was Sylvia Austin to follow the proceedings.
Earlier this month town attorney Gilbert Chichestertold the board that he felt the existing ordinance served the town well. Mayor Hawfield told the board that the present ordinance was drafted in 2002 and followed recommended guidelines for small towns.
The board for the most part agrees the vehicles look bad. If the town were to remove a vehicle they would have to pay to have it towed and pay for storage. The board also is concerned with the cost of removing and storing ticketed vehicles. With the limited funds the town has it would be a burden to have to pay the extra cost. The best they can do now is ask the owners to clean up the area and take care of it.
The police are limited in what they can do depending on where the vehicle is located. If it is on private property there is not much they can do. Town Police Chief Mike Suggs told the board that if a vehicle is on your own property it is not considered abandoned. Suggs added the present ordinance cannot be enforced on commercial property.
Suggs also has a concern about what is considered junk – if it runs it is not junk. In court they have to be able to prove to a judge that the law has been broken and this is not always easy to do.
One of the major concerns for the board is that the elderly may not have the money to correct the problem. The board also commented that up until now Austin was the only one who has complained about them.
In the end the board agreed to hold off on changing the ordinance until they review all the town ordinances in the near future. They also asked Suggs to check out the various vehicle situations and speak with the people who have vehicles that are of concern.