Killeen council adopts tighter junk- and nuisance-vehicle rules after extended debate

KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen City Council on Dec. 2 adopted changes to Chapter 18 of the city code that expand the definition of nuisance vehicles, add penalties and clarify enforcement steps following recent changes at the state level.

Staff and council spent more than an hour on the item as residents raised concerns about how the changes would affect property owners and military families. City code staff said the amendments remove references to state vehicle safety inspection requirements, create a definition of "nuisance vehicle" for vehicles that are wrecked, dismantled, or inoperable, and move abatement enforcement to the executive director of development services or designee.

Code enforcement director Jerry Miller described how the process works: once a vehicle has remained in a condition meeting the ordinance definition for 30 consecutive days on private property it can be identified as a junk vehicle, the owner receives notice, and "once it is identified after that 30 days they have 10 days to remove it from public view," Miller said. He added that if the owner fails to comply the city obtains an administrative warrant from municipal court prior to entering private property for removal and that vehicles taken may be transferred to a contracted towing company.

Councilmember Ramon Alvarez emphasized the ordinance’s alignment with state law, saying it "exactly mirrors verbatim The state of Texas transportation code section 6.83." Residents including Melissa Brown and others urged caution, citing possible impacts on service members who deploy and questions about notification. Brown said in public comment that the change could "take away the requirement for vehicles to be registered" as a defense and warned that the ordinance could be applied subjectively.

City staff and council members said they will work with the city communications team and with local military leadership to publicize the change and provide education prior to enforcement. Attorney and staff clarified during debate that the ordinance, as written for the hearing, will go into effect immediately once voted on; council also discussed a grace period and plans for outreach.

Councilmember Alvarez moved to approve the public hearing item as presented; Councilmember Solomon seconded the motion. The council approved the ordinance by a 7–0 vote.

The ordinance text and enforcement schedule provide for owner notification, a hearing process to contest a designation prior to forced removal, and the use of contracted towing and title-transfer procedures when abatement occurs. The ordinance does not create a city-funded towing reimbursement program; staff said recovered vehicles become the title property of the towing contractor after paperwork is transferred.

Council and staff said next steps will include public-information outreach to help residents understand timelines, the hearing request process and options for compliance.