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Special magistrate opens City of Newberry hearing, stresses compliance over punishment
Summary
At a Nov. 13, 2025 special magistrate hearing, the City of Newberry magistrate led the pledge, called the hearing to order and emphasized that code enforcement is intended to secure property compliance and compensate the city — not to punish or generate revenue; cases where respondents acknowledge noncompliance will be heard first.
The City of Newberry’s special magistrate opened a Nov. 13, 2025 hearing by leading the Pledge of Allegiance and calling the session to order. The magistrate said code enforcement’s purpose is to secure compliance and to make the city "made whole," not to punish or to generate revenue for the city. "So, code enforcement is for enforcement. It's not for punishment. It's not for revenue making for the city," the magistrate said.
The magistrate told attendees the board’s goal is timely compliance and noted enforcement also serves to deter future violations: ensuring "the next person down the road doesn't do the same thing." The official added that the City of Newberry shares that approach.
The magistrate also reviewed hearing procedures adopted for the session, saying that the first cases to be heard will be those in which respondents indicate they wish to acknowledge noncompliance. The magistrate asked whether anyone present intended to acknowledge noncompliance so those matters could be taken up first.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in the portion of the hearing provided in the transcript. The hearing proceeded under the outlined procedures, with cases in which respondents admit noncompliance prioritized according to the magistrate's statement.
