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Longtime resident urges action over livestock, waste and code-enforcement failures
Summary
At the Feb. 19 Tooele City Council meeting, resident James Elliott described ongoing animal and property problems at a neighboring parcel, said previous complaints produced no effective enforcement and said a court case is pending.
James Elliott, a longtime Tooele resident, told the Tooele City Council during the public-comment period on Feb. 19 that a neighbor’s animals and site conditions have damaged his property and that city enforcement has not resolved the problem.
Elliott said the adjacent property now contains “approximately 9, 8 pigs, 20 goats, and there’s still 1 horse left,” and that animals have destroyed his fence, grapevines and several fruit trees. He said he filed complaints “approximately 3 years ago,” submitted about 70 photographs to the city and that a court date is pending.
Elliott described what he said were public-health concerns and trash and unlicensed or partially dismantled vehicles on the parcel. He said he reported holding-tank dumping and people “relieving themselves” on the property and that his repeated requests to code and animal control produced no lasting remedy.
Elliott said he has contacted multiple agencies, including the mayor’s office and the police chief, and that he was once told by officers that he was misusing emergency services when he called again about goats in his yard. He told the council, “I think my civil rights were violated,” and said he would pursue the matter publicly, including the ACLU if necessary.
The resident also said he received inconsistent responses from city staff about whether current ordinances could be enforced. Elliott said he provided a definition of “swine” after an official questioned how to identify pigs and that he was repeatedly shuffled among offices. He urged immediate action from the council.
The council did not take a formal vote or direct staff to a specific remedy during the meeting. The public-comment period closed after Elliott and additional speakers finished their remarks.
Why it matters: Elliott’s remarks allege long-running code and enforcement issues that, if accurate, would affect neighboring property owners’ health, safety and property rights. The council did not announce a follow-up action during the meeting.
