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Commission gives first reading to rodent-control ordinance targeting ground feeding
Summary
The commission introduced Ordinance 19.4 to address ground feeding that attracts rodents, set a second reading for Nov. 21, 2022, and discussed enforcement that would initially seek voluntary compliance but allow the city to hire contractors and bill property owners for extreme, noncompliant cases.
The Mount Clemens City Commission gave first reading to Ordinance 19.4, a rodent-control measure focused on ground feeding and blight conditions that harbor rodents, and set Nov. 21, 2022, as the date for a second reading and adoption.
City Manager Shipman and code-enforcement staff described the ordinance as a response to a resident complaint about ground feeding that attracted rodents. "We didn't really have anything that specifically was related to rodent control and ground feeding," Shipman said, explaining the ordinance was developed with community development and code officers to fill that gap.
Commissioners pressed on enforcement and responsibility for costs. One commissioner asked: "So does that mean we both pay for the extermination because they're hanging out at my house, but they live over there?" Shipman and staff said the measure targets extreme noncompliant properties, that code enforcement would first attempt remediation with the property owner and that, if needed, the city could hire a contractor and charge the property owner listed on the last tax assessment roll for the cost.
The ordinance bans placing food or animal feed on the ground and lists owner responsibility for costs when the city intervenes after failed compliance. Commissioners discussed challenges in enforcement, including shared rodent movement between properties and feeding along riverfront areas, but agreed the item should move forward for a second reading.
Action: The commission approved introduction and set the second reading date by roll call.
