Council adopts new bulk-waste ordinance allowing immediate citations for repeat violators

Council members approved an ordinance (11529-2026) that amends the codified ordinances to add section 13.61.041, establishing stricter controls on bulk-waste setouts and giving enforcement officers the authority to issue citations without prior warning for repeat offenders.

Mayor Orcutt told council the change targets a small number of habitual violators who repeatedly place bulk items on tree lawns and otherwise create recurring cleanup and nuisance burdens. "We don't have the authority to be able to issue a citation for those that continue to just put bulk out on their tree lawn," Orcutt said while explaining the administration’s rationale for the change. The measure specifies that each day a bulk-waste violation continues constitutes a separate offense.

Some council members urged caution about first-time or inadvertent violators. Councilman Messini said he worried the change could catch residents who are new to the city or unfamiliar with rules; Mayor Orcutt and the administration said the intent is to target repeat offenders and to use the city’s knowledge of habitual problem locations to enforce appropriately. Councilman Poindexter opposed suspending the rules to adopt the ordinance immediately, arguing that rule changes should be subject to public input, but a motion to suspend the rules and adopt the ordinance under emergency passed and the ordinance was adopted that evening.

What’s next: The ordinance is adopted under suspension of the rules and declared an emergency; council did not postpone further implementation but officials said the service and property-maintenance staff will apply the new authority to habitual offenders while continuing education and outreach.