Residents tell council of sanitation, safety and code-enforcement problems on Bergen Street; requests for sidewalks on Jackson Road

Multiple residents at the May 28 meeting told the Common Council they face ongoing public-safety and code-enforcement problems in the Far Northwest and on Bergen Street and asked for more active city response.

Logan Foster, a resident of 1138 College Street, opened the public comments with a broad criticism of council conduct and cited a municipal code provision and the state “open door law,” saying the council had not acted to bring its code into conformity. Foster alleged misconduct by named council members; those allegations were presented as his claims and not verified in the meeting record. “If you do not craft and pass legislation… then I must simply ask, what precisely is this body's function?” Foster said.

Residents then focused on specific neighborhood problems. Theresa Phillips, who lives at 2020 North Mead Street, described two nearby properties — she identified 2039 Mead Street and 2506 Bergen…