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Bradford resident urges Board of Health review of long-running garbage problem
Summary
A resident told the Bradford City Council that a neighbor’s repeated trash dumping has become a public-health and street-safety problem and was told the case will be referred to the Board of Health; police and code staff said they are building a record and advised continuing 911 calls.
A Bradford resident told the City Council at its June meeting that repeated garbage dumped from a neighboring property has attracted wildlife, spread onto the street and is affecting neighbors’ quality of life. Council members and city staff said the situation is being referred to the Board of Health for potential enforcement.
The resident said, “She's throwing the garbage out into the bush and on the street,” and said bags are being ripped open by skunks and cats, creating an ongoing mess on the block. She told the council she had reported the problem repeatedly and that the condition has persisted despite prior citations and past criminal charges for the property owner.
City staff said the matter will be placed before the Board of Health in the coming weeks and described an active enforcement and interagency effort. A city representative said the case could be heard as a public-nuisance matter and that code and police resources have been used for welfare checks, 911 responses and documentation. A police representative told residents the calls help build a record: “that record is what we need to build our case,” and advised neighbors to keep reporting incidents to 911 so police and code enforcement can document occurrences.
Council and staff emphasized that some matters are moving through code and health channels rather than the council meeting itself. The city representative said the Board of Health review is scheduled in the near term and that staff will provide the resident with the hearing date.
Neighbors raised concerns about the burden on emergency services when calls are frequent and asked what interim steps the city could take; staff said welfare checks and interagency coordination with the Office of Aging and the police have been increased and that code officers are issuing citations as appropriate.
The council did not take a formal vote on the matter during the meeting; staff described the next formal step as a Board of Health hearing and continued code enforcement actions.
Less critical details: residents emphasized the long duration of the problem and the stress on neighbors; staff asked residents to continue submitting 911 and code complaints so the city can maintain documentation needed for enforcement.
