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Hardwick resident Travis Schoolmeester will have a portion of a $1,000 fine reduced if he continues efforts to clean up his property at 203 East Main Street.
Hardwick City Council members unanimously agreed at their Sept. 9 meeting to waive additional fines and forgive all but $600 of the fine issued in late July.
They acknowledged that Schoolmeester made a significant effort to comply with the city’s public nuisance ordinance since this spring.
City attorney David Owen outlined the council’s decision in a Sept. 14 letter to Schoolmeester.
“In a show of good faith and in light of your continued efforts to improve the situation present upon your property … the council has moved to reduce your fine to $600 if, over a three-year period, you maintain your property and keep it in the condition required by the ordinance,” Owens’ letter stated.
According to the city’s ordinance, no resident can keep discarded, worn out, and/or inoperable materials on their properties that no longer serve the purpose for which they were originally manufactured including such items as cans, pots, tires, pools and other containers that may hold standing or stagnant water.
To be in compliance, residents are required to discard all debris, unused equipment, junk and other miscellaneous items. No articles of equipment, inoperable equipment, junk, branches, brush or any other waste or debris may remain on the property.
Schoolmeester appeared at the council’s Aug. 12 meeting, two months after the council served him with a failure to comply citation in violation of the city’s nuisance ordinance. Schoolmeester had until July 15 to comply with the ordinance or face a $1,000 fine.
The fine was issued July 17 with additional fines of $100 for each day the violation continued to exist. Council members deemed that Schoolmeester made significant cleanup progress by July 25.
Schoolmeester appealed the fine in a letter dated Aug. 17 to the city of Hardwick.
“I, Travis Schoolmeester, am writing this letter to appeal the $1,000 fine you are considering imposing for the ‘junk’ on my properties,” the letter read.
“I accept the non-compliance and took action upon receiving the first notice. After the council inspected the first time and found it still non-compliant, I then continued the cleanup. As you stated, it is now satisfactory.”
Council members annually inspect residents’ properties in the spring.
The city adopted a new ordinance in 2017 to improve the look of the small community of 200 residents.
“The goal is compliance to clean up the town,” said city clerk Tammy Johnson at the council’s Sept. 9 meeting.
The Hardwick council is also working with an additional resident, Lisa Trudeau, 121 South Buckingham Street, who is also non-compliant with the city’s nuisance ordinance.
Council members will make a final inspection of the Trudeau property before imposing the $1,000 fine.
Under the ordinance, in addition to fines, city officials can arrange for removal of the nuisance materials.
Cleanup costs are billed to the property owner. If unpaid, the costs are assessed to the property taxes.