Residents urge town to act after yearlong trailer occupant accused of dumping sewage and disturbing neighborhood

Speaker 5 (Unidentified speaker) and nearby residents told the Clawson Town Council that a person living in a trailer on a local property has been on site for more than a year and is creating a persistent nuisance. "He's been there over a year," Speaker 5 said, adding the occupant "is revving engines to the point I can't sleep" and that an inspector reported possible sewage dumping.

Council members described enforcement options but said the situation appears largely civil rather than criminal. Speaker 8 (Unidentified speaker) said there may be a relevant state statute and offered to locate the language and draft a notice to vacate; Speaker 8 also said that if the person failed to comply, the county prosecutor or legal counsel might be needed to pursue removal. Speaker 3 and Speaker 6 agreed the town’s enforcement authority was limited and that the police could enforce the town’s noise ordinance for incidents that met the ordinance threshold.

The discussion included practical steps for residents: call law enforcement each time a noise disturbance occurs and document incidents. Several residents described children being awakened and trouble sleeping because of repeated engine revving late into the evening. "I have babies. And they're already hard to keep asleep all night," Speaker 11 said.

No formal motion or order to remove the occupant was made during the meeting. The council directed staff to research the applicable code language, prepare written notice options and, if necessary, coordinate with county legal authorities for civil enforcement. The board also encouraged residents to continue filing police reports when disturbances occur.