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Commission discusses dead vehicles, nuisance complaints and coordinating enforcement
Summary
Commissioners asked volunteers to log addresses with inoperable vehicles and discussed using the sheriff's office for enforcement after past confrontations; staff agreed to send notice letters and accept responsibility for follow-up.
Mendon commissioners on March 20 discussed code enforcement priorities, focusing on visible inoperable vehicles, fences and overgrown sidewalks and how to handle citizen complaints.
Commissioners asked each member to drive the town and note addresses that appear to have "dead cars" visible from the street. One commissioner said the city has previously sent letters that were ignored and that involving the sheriff has proven effective in obtaining compliance: "The letter's gonna come from us," a commissioner said, offering to take responsibility for the citizen backlash that sometimes follows enforcement.
Commissioners noted a past incident in which volunteers conducting enforcement outreach were threatened and said that, because of safety concerns, they prefer that a sheriff deliver enforcement letters rather than commission volunteers. "We stopped doing that, and that's when we started sending the sheriff," a commissioner said, describing a prior threat to volunteers.
They discussed the need to avoid mistaken citations where vehicles are in use and to include a courtesy explanation in letters giving owners a chance to respond. Commissioners also tied the topic to other neighborhood maintenance matters, including sidewalk obstructions and tall weeds, and agreed to compile a shared list of addresses for staff follow-up.
No formal enforcement ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to pursue standard notice procedures and to coordinate with the sheriff's office where appropriate.
