Residents who volunteer to clean Fall River parks and waterways asked the city council to strengthen penalties for illegal dumping and to make fines commensurate with cleanup costs.

Sarah and James Riley, of 1679 Copacot Road, told the council they work with environmental police officers and volunteer groups removing garbage from the bioreserve and other places. Sarah Riley said fines should “reflect significant and unquantifiable manpower costs to the city, investigation, enforcement, DCM removal, and cost of elimination,” and that fines should be posted so the public “cannot claim ignorance.” She described recent cases in which an offender who dumped 43 contractor bags was fined $300 and a separate case involving a U-Haul unload.

Councilor Hart, who has sponsored related action, said the matter will go to the ordinance committee and invited the volunteers to attend committee meetings. Another councilor suggested that construction companies dumping C&D material sometimes find it cheaper to pay a low fine than to properly dispose of debris and proposed higher fines — for example, around $3,000 — to deter commercial dumping.

The council adopted a resolution directing the committee on ordinances and legislation to convene with the police chief, the director of city operations and the corporation counsel to review enforcement methods and potential amendments to fines. The motion to adopt the resolution carried unanimously.

Why it matters: Volunteers and enforcement officers said current penalties do not deter repeat dumping and that municipal cleanup imposes staffing and disposal costs. Council action opens a formal review of the ordinances and enforcement practices and could lead to higher civil penalties or new enforcement strategies.

Discussion vs. action: The public comments were part of citizen input. The council’s action was a directive resolution to the ordinance committee to study enforcement and possible fee increases; no specific fine changes were adopted at the meeting.

Next steps: The ordinance committee will meet with the police chief, director of city operations and corporation counsel to examine current enforcement, the existing fine schedule, and options to update the ordinance and posting requirements. Volunteers were invited to participate in committee hearings.