Officials in Scott City back get-tough stance

When the temperatures warm up, so does Scott City's battle against eyesores. This year the city government and police have plans to make things even harder for violators.

In the past few years, city officials have made enforcement of laws against nuisances like junk cars, decaying or unfinished structures, trash and high weeds a priority. Last year the city even approved a budget that funded the hiring of a full-time nuisance enforcement officer.

Mayor Tim Porch and the city council want to shed the image of Scott City as a dirty town, an image that has somehow crept into the area consciousness.

And while nuisance enforcement is a year-round priority, when the warm temperatures accelerate the growth of grass and bring more people outside, it becomes even more important.

Last summer Porch instructed the police to be harsh with offenders -- only one warning would be giving before a ticket and the accompanying fine was issued. This year he wants to go even further.

Offenders who have been cited in past years will receive a ticket the first time, with no warning.

"If you got a notice last year, you're going to get a notice, but it will be accompanied by a ticket," said Porch. "After one person has been told two or three years in a row, they know what's going on."

Police have also been instructed to pursue a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to litter, Porch said.

Porch said the problem of eyesores -- be they broken-down buildings, junk cars or high grass -- is one every town experiences. For some reason those things have given Scott City a bad rap, but Porch said his city is working hard to change that image.

"I think the police officers are doing a knock-out job," said Porch. "We've taken out some real problem areas."

One way the police have attacked nuisances is by taking the clean-up into their own hands. Police use the labor of prisoners in the city jail to mow abandoned properties and cut weeds out of ditches on Missouri Department of Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad rights of way.

Recently the city used inmate labor to demolish a condemned mobile home.

The problem area near the Intestate 55 interchange in Scott City has also been addressed. In previous years a chain-link fence near the interchange would become choked with high weeds and litter. Now the fence is gone after the city took it out.

Ward 3 city councilman Robert Tyler said there are still some problem areas in the city limits. However, he sees a lot of progress on the issue.

"These things get attention when they're brought to our attention," said Tyler.

Ward 4 city councilman Norman Brant said he's only heard a few minor complaints about the nuisance issue this year. Like Porch he also feels the city has made a lot of progress.

But Brant said there may be a new nuisance issue on the horizon -- yard sale signs. Brant, like many locals, loves a good yard sale. But when yard sale signs are left posted long after the sale is over, they too become an eyesore, he said. His constituents agree.

"That's been the biggest nuisance issue I've heard about," said Brant.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182