Resident alleges overzealous code enforcement; council agrees to review

Tony Baguss told the Spring Grove City Council during the March 17 open forum that he was issued multiple ordinance tickets he believes did not fit the city code and that the citations reflect a personal vendetta by city staff. "I was issued multiple tickets for ordinance violations…one of the tickets wasn't seen by the prosecutor and subsequently went through as a conviction," Baguss said, adding that a prosecutor later told him one charge was not prosecutable.

Baguss said the ticketing began after a dispute over his dog and that other residents have reported similar experiences. He called for City Administrator Jana Elton to be removed from code‑enforcement duties and for the council to oversee future enforcement decisions. "No city employee should be able to produce the financial injustice that I've witnessed myself," he said.

Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson said the pattern Baguss described is a larger issue that cannot be resolved during open forum and said the council will ask city legal counsel to review the matter and place it on a future agenda. City Administrator Jana Elton acknowledged the timing of notices is under discussion (currently issued every 10 days, with a proposal to change to every 30 days) but did not concede the broader allegations at the meeting.

The council did not take immediate action; the mayor said the issue will return for formal consideration after consultation with the city attorney.