Berne nuisance board approves minutes, issues warnings and keeps multiple properties under review

The Berne Nuisance Review Board opened its meeting by approving the May 20 minutes and then reviewed a series of property complaints, voting to send new warnings and to continue monitoring several locations.

Board members discussed each property in turn and took formal steps affecting owners and occupants. Ron moved to continue monitoring 755 North Jefferson after photos showed cleanup and the presence of a trailer being used to remove material. For 306 Winridge, the board voted to send new letters for both excessive weeds/vegetation and accumulation of rubbish, attach current photos and include an official written warning to be delivered by the police; the board set remediation to be completed by the day before the next nuisance review meeting. 466 Maple Street was reported mowed and partly corrected; members voted to continue monitoring that parcel.

The board also addressed 866 West Van Street, where the junk vehicle had been removed but a shed, trailer frame and tires remained. Members directed staff to assemble a single correspondence packet that combined nuisance, junk-vehicle and building-permit concerns and asked that it be hand delivered. At 355 Hooser Street the board authorized a rubbish letter after neighbors reported motorbike activity and non-running mini bikes in the yard; a complaint form documenting trash and a camper was in the meeting packet. At 517 East Main the board approved sending a bilingual (English/Spanish) letter that documents the city's expectations: once the permitted garage work is complete, temporary sheds are to be removed.

Members debated enforcement approach and the limits of the city's nuisance ordinance. One board member cited Section 91.07 as the statutory reference for rubbish penalties and noted that the accumulation-of-rubbish provision allows the city to move directly to fines, whereas the excessive weeds and vegetation standard typically carries a warning step. The board discussed using a standard practice of issuing a picture-backed warning and then escalating at the next meeting if the property remains noncompliant.

Tim, who oversaw the contact on a recent camper case, said the removal ‘‘was handled very effectively,’’ reflecting a case that required only staff outreach. Staff confirmed that building permits generally allow up to a year and a half to complete construction, a timeline the board said it will note when setting expectations in letters to property owners.

The board also discussed regional practices for private storage yards (rates cited in discussion: Decatur about $50/month, Berne about $30/month, Bluffton roughly $33–34/month) and flagged recurring parking obstructions on Portland Street and trailers on Harrison Street for follow up. No new ordinance language was adopted; instead the board emphasized clarifying enforcement steps, delivering warnings with photos and documenting expectations in letters so those items can be revisited at the next meeting.

The meeting ended after the board voted to adjourn. The board directed staff to prepare and hand-deliver the picture-backed warnings and bilingual notice described above and to bring compliance updates to the next scheduled nuisance review board meeting.