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Council adopts ordinance to raise penalties for repeat nuisance violations
Summary
The council adopted an ordinance expanding the fine range for repeated nuisance‑ordinance violations within 12 months, aiming to provide the municipal court clearer escalation options when citations are ineffective; council acknowledged sensitivity when mental‑health issues may be involved.
The City of The Colony adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 6, Article 9, Section 6‑205 of the city code to expand the penalty range for multiple nuisance violations committed within a 12‑month period.
City counsel Joe Perez told the council the change responds to cases in which property owners repeatedly pay individual citations without correcting the underlying problem. "What this amendment does is it will help further enforce the violations...the judge needs a little more clarification in these cases," Perez said, explaining the expanded range gives the court an escalatory tool for persistent or extreme circumstances.
Perez said the amendment applies to both residential and commercial properties and cited trash and debris as a frequent example. He also noted the council and staff sought a solution that would be sensitive where mental‑health issues are implicated. "In the case we're talking about, we know there's probably some mental‑health issues there so trying to be sensitive to that," he said.
Councilmember Insweiler moved to adopt the ordinance; Councilmember Wade seconded, and the mayor announced the item passed.
The ordinance does not list specific new dollar amounts in the discussion recorded on the transcript; staff described the change as expanding the existing range (the current ordinance allows fines up to $2,000). Council members said the escalated scale is intended as a stronger deterrent to repeat offenses while allowing the court discretion in individual cases.
The ordinance takes effect as adopted; staff will coordinate enforcement and any follow‑up needed for cases currently pending in municipal court.
