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City discusses enforcing 72-hour parking rule, nuisance ordinances and trailer residency
Summary
Council members and staff discussed enforcing the city's 72-hour parking rule, nuisance ordinances, how to handle trailers and vehicles used as housing, and options to collect remediation costs.
Mount Pleasant council members and staff discussed stepped-up enforcement of the city's rules on abandoned and long-term parked vehicles, the use of nuisance ordinances to address overgrown lots and junk, and gaps in the city's rules for people living in trailers.
Council member Paul opened the item as part of his report and asked staff about vehicles parked across the city. City staff member Kevin said he had reviewed the applicable portion of city code and said: "I will double check to make sure I looked at that code section of the city code about a month ago. And if my memory serves me correctly, that is a remedy that the city does have." Kevin described a typical enforcement sequence: post notice on the vehicle, mail a notice to the registered owner and, if the vehicle is not removed, impound it.
The council recalled the specific local rules discussed during the meeting: a 72-hour limit on continuous street parking for an inactive or unlicensed vehicle and a separate ordinance that treats overgrown lots, junk and trash as nuisances eligible for enforcement. Council members said stickers or window notices are already used as an initial step. One member recounted a personal experience with impound fees and said the city's 72-hour rule is in place so vehicles can't remain for long periods.
Staff noted there is no ordinance that explicitly addresses people living in trailers under all circumstances, and the council discussed a related 29-day limit referenced in existing local rules. One council member said some trailers on city property had been present for years, and staff confirmed litigation is pending in at least one case tied to vehicles and trailers. Kevin told the council he had filed abandoned-vehicle actions and that two trailers in question are already in court.
The council discussed enforcement options beyond impoundment, including sending nuisance abatement letters, issuing fix-it tickets that can be dismissed after compliance, hiring contractors to clean properties deemed unsafe or hazardous and placing the cost as a lien on the property tax roll. Staff cautioned that collecting those charges later is a challenge. The group also noted common complaints about uneven enforcement'residents pointing to many vehicles when only a few are cited.
The discussion included these operational points: the city can post notices on vehicles, mail to registered owners, issue fix-it tickets that allow dismissal upon compliance, use nuisance ordinances to address weeds and junk on private property, and pursue civil remedies that can lead to a lien on property for cleanup costs. Staff said judges have previously dismissed some nuisance citations when notice procedures were inadequate, and that the city has used "fix-it" tickets successfully in prior instances to secure compliance.
Council direction: staff were asked to confirm enforcement options and legal procedures (notice requirements, fix-it ticket use, and property-lien processes) and to proceed where appropriate on the vehicles and trailers currently in court. No formal vote was recorded.
Ending: City staff indicated they would verify code citations, continue enforcement on vehicles where possible and return with follow-up details to the council.
