Hearings on clean-up rules today
MEGAN FEDDERSEN — Sentinel Staff WriterFAIRMONT - Fairmont City Council will hold hearings today before voting on measures intended to clean up residents' properties.
The three issues the council wants to address are parking on front lawns, solid waste container storage and the definition of junk. City staff and council members have received numerous complaints about all of these issues, and staff researched laws in similar-sized communities before making recommendations.
Regarding parking vehicles in front yards of residential neighborhoods, city code would be amended so that residential parking areas can only be used for vehicles, not outdoor storage for items that are for sale or for commercial repair work, with an exception for temporary garage/yard sales. Other restrictions would include driveway design and location.
For solid waste container storage, the new rules would not allow a single-family residence to have a garbage container larger than 96 gallons more than 21 days. Garbage must be stored in an enclosure in the side or rear yards, and can only be in the front yard on garbage pick-up days.
The third amendment would broaden the definition of junk and tighten the restrictions on what is legal to store on private or public property.
The meeting is 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall. The council will hold the public hearings and accept comments before voting on each item.
