BY CINDY TOOPES COURIER STAFF WRITER
August 21, 2008 12:40 am
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OTTUMWA — Did anyone else notice the nuisance ordinance wasn’t on the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting?
Councilman Bob Meyers voted yes on the ordinance’s first reading but now has second thoughts.
“Last week I notified [the city administrator] that, in fact, I had changed my mind,” he said Wednesday.
Meyers said he has received more information and questions from the public and wants more answers “before following through on it.”
City Administrator Joe Helfenberger said Wednesday city staff “will address any council concerns” before bringing the ordinance back for discussion and a possible vote.
“We’re looking at working with the health department and looking at an enforcement policy,” he said. “We want to be thorough. We’ll address the concerns and bring it back to council.”
Health Director Jody Gates has prepared a new nuisance ordinance that updates the current one, which was written decades ago. She has presented the changes in a public hearing and at council meetings.
The first reading of the ordinance passed on a 3-2 vote July 28 during a special meeting. Meyers, along with councilmembers Gordon Aistrope and Councilwoman Shannon Addison approved the reading.
In her staff report, Gates said the ordinance had been discussed at two prior special council meetings.
“Changes to the ordinance were made to clarify that city employees are required to follow legal means when entering houses, garages and other buildings,” she said.
One more change occurred after the July 21 meeting. The change clarified that “there is no prohibition on storing firewood in your yard or carport.”
During the July 28 meeting, Meyers said he had changed his mind about the ordinance after talking to Gates.
“It appears nuisances have increased and we need to do more,” he said at that time.
At the same meeting, Mayor Dale Uehling said “if the ordinance passes,” it can still be revisited “if parts of it aren’t working.
“This ordinance hasn’t been updated for 40 years. Something like this needs tweaked regularly,” he added.
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.
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