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Council passes nuisance policy
By Mike Bollinger • Staff Writer
 | | Andy Morris |
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CLIFTON FORGE — There is now a defined procedure to handle nuisance complaints in Clifton Forge. Town council approved a policy Tuesday that will make it a class 3 misdemeanor for someone to have a nuisance on their property and not take care of it if asked to.
The chief of police will be responsible for enforcing the policy, and town manager Tracey Shiflett said nuisances for the most part would be investigated as claims are received. Shiflett also said new code enforcement officerAndy Morris will look at health and safety issues in town after he begins work Oct. 1, and will then begin to go block by block to see what problems may exist.
Councilman Ed Mansfield expressed hope the new policy would be enforced aggressively. "We have passed a number of ordinances, and some have been enforced and some not as aggressively enforced," he said.
Basically, the new policy deals with health, welfare, safety and mosquitoes. Once a nuisance is reported, complaints are to be recorded on a form and sent to the chief of police with a copy to the town manager. Once complaints are received, a police officer will be assigned to investigate. The policy calls for the investigation to be completed within 48 hours.
If no nuisance is found, a letter will be sent to the complainant. If a nuisance is found, the officer will attempt to contact the property owner and allow five days for the nuisance to be taken care of. If the property owner cannot be contacted, a registered letter will be sent and the five-day period will begin upon receipt of the letter.
At the end of the five-day period, the property will be checked for compliance. If the nuisance has been abated, a letter will be sent to the complainant informing them. If the nuisance still exists, the property owner will be charged with a class 3 misdemeanor.
The town will then ask a judge for permission to enter the property and remove the nuisance at the least cost and require the property owner to pay for expenses.
In Brief ...
Mansfield also expressed concern about some rental properties in town. "A lot of houses are being rented that are not fit for human habitation," he said.
He asked if something could be done to put some type of certificate of occupancy in place so houses could be inspected before they are rented. Shiflett said the town would have to adopt legislation specifically related to rental inspections before that could be done.
Mansfield indicated he had been told of a rental house where rats have eaten the insulation off electrical wiring. "We have landlords renting properties that are not up to the code of Virginia and civilized standards," he said. "I would like to see us do something about occupancy permits."
Mayor Annette Anderson suggested asking Shiflett and, once he is on the job, Morris, to research through the Virginia Municipal League and see what other localities are doing concerning rental properties. Council agreed, and Mansfield indicated that would satisfy his concerns.
New code enforcement officer
Shiflett introduced Morris to council as the new code enforcement officer. "I'm happy to be here. There is a lot of good stuff gong on in the community, and I think Tracey (Shiflett) and I will make a good team," Morris said.
"The certificates Andy holds will take a tremendous load off me. He is an extremely qualified person," Shiflett said.
"I would like to welcome Andy," said councilwoman Nellie Friel. "He has a lot of good experience and certifications and I look forward to him being part of our group Oct. 1."
Morris and his family relocated to Alleghany County two years ago from Chesapeake. Prior to accepting the Clifton Forge position, he was the erosion and sediment control administrator and building inspector for Alleghany County. He has more than 20 years experience in the construction industry as well as municipal government.
His certifications include combination inspector, zoning and property maintenance and erosion and sediment control combined administrator. He and his wife, Heidi, have two daughters and reside in Callaghan.
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