Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tenant Issues topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents complain at council meeting about Pop Warner letter threatening trespass and ask town to investigate tenant conduct
Summary
Several residents asked the council to investigate a letter from a Pop Warner organization threatening trespass enforcement against named youths and asked town officials to consider corrective action regarding the tenant that leases space at Dean and Barbara White Community Center; council agreed to look into the matter.
During public comment at the May 6 meeting several residents urged the council to investigate and take corrective action regarding letters from a Maryville Pop Warner organization that threatened to have named youths removed from town property and to classify them as trespassers.
Robert Buggs said a letter from Maryville Pop Warner listed several minors by name and stated that if they were "seen on the premises" they would be treated as trespassers and removed by Maryville law enforcement. He said the letter suggested the board had determined the children’s conduct was “detrimental” and that he wanted the town to take corrective action against the tenant if appropriate. Buggs said the council, as landlord, bears responsibility if a tenant is acting harmfully on town property.
Melissa Smith, who said she and her children had been involved with Maryville Pop Warner, said the organization’s president had acted unprofessionally and that the letter caused emotional distress for her children. She said she had tried to file a police report at the department and asked the council to examine the basis for the organization’s actions and the use of the town’s name in the letter.
President Bello said the town would look into the matter, noting that the Pop Warner program is an independent lessee that rents space from the town. Town Manager Griffin and other councilors said staff will review the letter and the tenant relationship and follow up with the complainants; no formal disciplinary or lease action was announced at the meeting.
The complainants asked the council to ensure the town name not be used in a manner that could expose the town to liability; council staff said they would consult the town attorney as needed and follow up with the residents.
