City wants to crack down on old vehicles
HARTINGTON – Old, unregistered vehicles can be an eyesore and should not be seen in the community’s streets and yards, Hartington City Council members said Monday.
The city sent 25 letters out to property owners informing them they had 30 days to remove unregistered or undrivable vehicles from public view or they would be in violation of city code.
Current statutes indicate these people can receive a $100 fine if they do not comply with the city’s request to move the vehicles.
City Council members said while the letters and fines are a good start, they are concerned the current city statute isn’t strong enough to solve the problem.
“Our goal is to clean up the property to make the town look better,” Mayor Mark Becker said. “The only way we can get it cleaned up is if we remove these vehicles.”
City Clerk Brittni Benscoter said it is difficult to achieve this goal under the current city code, however.
“Our statute is very ambiguous. It’s just not very clear and that’s a problem,” Benscoter said. “A lot of other cities have a much more clearly written statute.”
After discussing their concerns, the Council directed city attorney Nikki Brandt to draft a new, more strict ordinance that will help get the property cleaned up. This new ordinance could give the city the authority to confiscate a vehicle if it is not moved.
“When a vehicle like that sits out in the front yard or in the front of the house for everyone to see, it creates a visual nuisance. If we can drive around and see it, it’s a visual nuisance,” Brandt said.
Brandt said the city ordinances in some area communities are much more strict, allowing the city to confiscate these vehicles if they are not moved, or allowing for daily or weekly fines.
“The way our current ordinance is written, it appears we cannot take any further action at this point other than issuing a $100 fine for the violation,” she said.
Also Monday, the Council approved a rezone and replat of city-owned property just west of the Hartington VFW Clubhouse. The lot will be used to construct a new city shop, which voters approved in the May election.
The Council also granted a building permit to Tom Miller for a storm shelter on his property.
The city also accepted bids Monday to repair hail-damaged roofs at the Hartington golf course and at the Felber Park shelter house.
A $17,000 bid from HMR roofing was accepted to repair the swimming pool bathhouse roof. The Council accepted a bid of $33,966 from Level Up Builders to repair the clubhouse roof. Becker also told Council members he is in discussions about the Skylon Ballroom. The facility could potentially be moved to a new site by a private individual, Becker said.