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Commission approves second reading of nuisance ordinance with escalation clause
Summary
The commission approved the second reading of Ordinance 1250, which adds an escalation clause for repeated nuisance violations and specifies first, second and third violation fines; staff and commissioners discussed authorized enforcement personnel wording.
The West Fargo City Commission approved the second reading of Ordinance 1250, an amendment addressing nuisance violations that adds an escalation clause with tiered fines for first, second and third violations.
City attorney’s office staff said the ordinance language was updated following a December discussion to include fine amounts and an escalation clause. Commissioner Zundell asked whether the escalation mechanism should be documented in the ordinance because of questions about who receives citations; legal staff said standard enforcement tracking is handled by the police department and that the ordinance can remain as drafted. Commissioner Jorgensen questioned a reference naming the West Fargo Volunteer Fire Department and asked that the ordinance instead reference the city fire department; staff said they could amend the text to read simply "fire department." Staff confirmed that language edits could be made.
Commissioner Jorgensen moved to approve the second reading and Commissioner Zundell seconded. The motion carried.
The approved ordinance includes the three-step escalation for fines and allows authorized persons (amendable language) to enforce the nuisance provisions. The packet materials and an updated ordinance with the added fines and escalation clause were distributed to commissioners in advance of the meeting.
