Resident urges council to finish graffiti ordinance enforcement after years of gaps

Rick Stillwater, a long-time East Wenatchee resident, told the City Council the city’s graffiti enforcement process has gaps that leave property owners and neighbors without timely relief.

“I think it’s time that the city looks at this, takes care of it real quick because it’s getting worse in my neighborhood,” Stillwater said, describing a tag on a nearby business that he said had been visible for more than 60 days. He said the ordinance’s notice-and-removal process—dating from 1997 in the ordinance text—appeared not to have been completed for that address and that property owners and occupants had not been handed the required form that would start the clock for enforcement.

Stillwater described examples in which taggers repeatedly overpaint earlier graffiti and said city property and a nearby sidewalk had been marked. He urged the council to give deputies the authority to hand the notice described in the ordinance and to consider temporary coverings for storefronts while removal is arranged.

The mayor thanked Stillwater for the materials and photos he submitted and said staff will ask the city attorney and legal team to review the ordinance and suggest corrections to make enforcement viable. “We will follow up and look at the—we’ll have legal team look at the ordinance and make any corrections that we need to to get that more in line so we can enforce those things,” the mayor said.

No new enforcement action was taken at the meeting; the council directed staff to review the ordinance language and return with possible amendments or options for implementation.