City reviews ordinance plan

By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Thursday, August 6, 2009 10:05 AM PDT

ONTARIO — Ontario City Manager Henry Lawrence will meet with Ontario Police Chief Mike Kee and Ordinance Officer James Swank this week to do a “top-to-bottom” review of the ordinance program following more discussion by the Ontario City Council last week.

The code enforcement issue has gained momentum since Ontario City Councilman Norm Crume brought up concerns in July, and Lawrence said he anticipates coming back to the City Council in a future work session to outline where they are at and begin making recommendations to strengthen code ordinances and enforcement.

“I think it’s a priority,” he said Tuesday. “We have a lot of momentum right now, and I want to make sure we maintain that momentum.”

At last week’s City Council work session, Kee presented ideas to improve a few of the ordinances, but no action was taken to allow for further review.

Among the ideas presented, however, were beefing up the ordinance addressing junk and used vehicles. Currently, there is no procedure for abatement when something has been identified as a nuisance. Kee also suggested providing a better definition of junk and junked vehicles and shortening the time junk is allowed to exist on a property. Kee also mentioned, the ordinance does not allow enforcement of certain violations in an industrial zone.

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Kee also put out ides such as shortening the time period for abating graffiti and making it unlawful for merchants to sell spray paint or a large marker to anyone younger than 18.

Kee said after the meeting, those suggestions were just possible ideas he came up with for the council’s consideration, and he didn’t feel strongly about any one concept as a necessary remedy.

“I just wanted to get the conversation started,” he said. “I don’t necessarily think those are good recommendations.”

Although Kee’s idea to create a community committee to come up with suggestions for ordinance violations, including determining what are nuisances, the council was not in favor of that idea because it would not gain more immediate results.

Crume said Tuesday he believed the council would have to tweak a couple of ordinances and make some minor changes, but he would like to see a “habitual offender” provision included to allow the city to fine people who repeatedly commit the same offenses.

“The other part of it is going to be the enforcement side of it,” he said. “I don’t know, that’s going to take some more discussion.”

Crume said, hopefully, he would have a better idea of Swank’s routine to report back to the council after he rides along with him for the day.

Still, Crume said it is unrealistic to believe all problems are going to be solved within the city without community buy-in.

“People are going to have to want Ontario to look better for it to really happen,” Crume said.

Ontario resident Eugene Doughty, who has been following the council’s conversations, said he believes discussion is moving in the right direction, although he is still on the lookout for violations.

“I think everything is basically on track, but I think we need more follow-up pictures on some things,” he said. “I’m out scouting.”

He said the council members need to see examples of ordinance violations so they can better understand what is going on.