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City offers removal or fines in Paradise property enforcement case; hearing officer upholds tickets when owner declines removal
Summary
City staff offered to haul unregistered vehicles off a Paradise property and waive the roughly $6,000 in accumulated tickets, or the owner could decline and face upheld citations; the owner declined the removal option and the hearing officer indicated the tickets would be upheld.
City enforcement staff told a Bristol hearing on March 19 that they will schedule an abatement to clean two properties associated with a single owner unless the owner meets a stipulation to clean the sites beforehand.
An enforcement officer described multiple citations, including tickets for debris and clutter, and a later citation (citation no. 13) for unregistered vehicles and parking in setbacks. The officer said photographs and tax‑assessor records show several vehicles and a trailer on the lots and that the matter had been continued previously to allow the owner time to comply.
Staff offered two options: allow the city to remove unregistered vehicles (leaving one unregistered vehicle as state law permits) and waive existing tickets, or uphold the tickets and let the owner appeal in superior court. “You can either choose that way to go, and then you can hire an attorney,” one attorney representing the city said. Enforcement staff said the removal route would avoid a lien and immediate fines being placed on the properties.
The owner disputed some of the registration records, saying some vehicles are registered and others belong to family members. The owner said practical issues — including recent hospitalization and difficulty obtaining DMV appointments — had slowed compliance. The owner declined the city’s removal offer. The hearing officer said the tickets would be upheld and noted the owner still has the right to appeal to superior court.
Why it matters: The case illustrates choices municipal enforcement offices use to resolve long‑running nuisance and registration issues: either immediate abatement (with short‑term relief from fines) or formal enforcement that can result in liens and larger financial penalties.
What happened next: The hearing officer indicated the city would move forward with enforcement if the owner did not accept the removal‑and‑waive option; the owner said he would see the city in court.
