County Commission | The Magazine June 2017 | Page 14

FROM THE COVER
If necessary, the county can
issue a formal citation and assess
fines. In cases where someone is
unwilling to abate the nuisance,
there’s a procedure for the county
to handle cleanup and then seek
reimbursement from the resident or
owner for the cost.
But it sounds like those
provisions are used about as often as
the bullet Barney Fife carries around
in his shirt pocket “just in case.”
Patrie said enforcement officers
routinely work closely with residents,
who are usually eager to get into
compliance when the issue is
brought to their attention.
Not everyone is so cooperative.
In one instance in Madison
County, 96 neighbors signed a
petition asking for help. For a
decade, they had watched the owner
of a half-acre parcel surround his
barn with a vast junk collection
including a crumbling horse wagon
and several tractor-trailer rigs, not
to mention surplus military and
police vehicles. It was more than
unsightly; it was a breeding ground
for squirrel-size rats, poisonous
snakes and feral cats.
So many times, when citizens
turn to the county for help, they
hear “I’d really like to help but our
hands are tied.” Because of a Limited
Self-Governance junk ordinance,
Madison County was in position to
notify the owner that the property
was in violation and eventually file
civil action in circuit court after he
ignored repeated citations.
Another beauty of local decision-
making is that officials can target
exactly what their community needs
– no more and no less.
Mobile County adopted a
junk ordinance in 2007, but a few
years later concerns emerged about
a provision some found overly
broad. The ordinance restricted
14 | COUNTY COMMISSION
case studies
Protecting Rural Pets
LOCATION: Autauga County
PROBLEM: Extremely limited ability to enforce an existing ban on animals running at large in
unincorporated areas.
BACKGROUND: Skye, a miniature Shetland pony that was expecting a foal, had to be euthanized
because of injuries suffered when she was attacked by roaming dogs. Present for the attack, the pony’s
owner shot the three pit bulls, killing two of them.
SOLUTION: Voters had previously authorized Limited Self-Governance in Autauga County to improve
enforcement of mandatory garbage collection, so the county commission was able to respond quickly
to the community’s outcry. The Animal Control Ordinance, adopted in 2009, clarified that animals could
not run at large and that they must also be restrained. The county’s animal control officer, based in the
sheriff’s department, gained the ability to assess fines and fees as well as impound animals in violation
of the ordinance.
all “dismantled or wrecked”
automobiles. A 2011 revision struck
a balance between preventing
proliferation of junk cars and
allowing residents to work on cars
on their property. • After six months, any vehicle
that is still inoperable must be
moved to either an enclosed
space or a location that is
not visible from the road or
adjoining properties.
The revised ordinance stipulated:
• Owners of inoperable cars have
six months to restore them.
• During this restoration period,
the vehicle cannot be used as
storage and vegetation cannot be
allowed to grow up in or around
the vehicle. All in all, it was a common-
sense solution to an unintended
consequence. Because of Limited
Self-Governance, commissioners
were able to quickly address the
problem – at the local level –
without involving the Legislature. n