Saint Marys council approves $7,000 liquid-fuels application and moves property-code update to publication

The Saint Marys City Council on May 19 approved Resolution No. 25-06, an application to the county for liquid fuels tax funds in the amount of $7,000 to purchase limestone for road work. Jerry moved to approve the application and Shane seconded; the motion carried on a voice vote.

Council then considered an ordinance to amend the city’s International Property Maintenance Code. City counsel and code staff explained the ordinance primarily updates local language to reflect the International Code Council’s 2021 standard and removes references to older code frameworks previously in use. Matt Young, the city’s chief code enforcement officer, said the update is intended to align the city with the state-adopted standard and does not change enforcement practice immediately; he said staff would follow the city’s standard procedure of issuing warnings before penalties are applied. During the discussion Young noted penalties in the draft could reach up to $1,000 per day for ongoing violations but said judges have discretion and that standard timelines (for example, seven days for grass cutting and garbage removal) would still be used.

Council voted to publish the ordinance for public notice; an ordinance number had not been assigned at the time of the meeting. Publication advances the ordinance to the public-notice stage but does not adopt the revised code; council members noted the item would return for further consideration following the publication process.