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Resident urges review of sanitation services and code-enforcement fines; council to consider fee schedule
Summary
Resident Kim Phillips told the council that sanitation staffing and a town contract with RCI for code enforcement have produced uneven services and steep $500 misdemeanor fines; councilors agreed to review a graduated fee schedule and pause reissuing about 37 summonses until the schedule is considered.
Kim Phillips, a town resident, urged the council to revisit multiple municipal services and processes, saying sanitation capacity is inadequate, code-enforcement fines are disproportionate, sewer service has been inequitable for long-term taxpayers, and heavy trucks need stronger traffic enforcement.
"The sanitation needs exceed the capacity of one or two men," Phillips said, recommending a cost analysis of contracting garbage service and proposing a bonus for a long-serving sanitation worker named Travis. She also asked council to "revisit the contract Pacolet has with RCI for code enforcement" after residents received fines while sanitation remained inconsistent.
The administrator acknowledged an administrative error: several code-enforcement summonses were issued with incorrect dates and locations and will be voided and reissued with corrected information. Council members explained the town ordinance currently defaults misdemeanor fines to $500 plus court costs unless a different schedule is adopted. Staff noted RCI typically provides inspection findings and that the town limits RCI's monthly work to approximately $2,000 in hourly costs, meaning inspections and ticketing happen on a limited schedule.
Councilors debated whether to adopt a graduated fee schedule — for example, a step system such as $75 for a first offense, $150 for a second, with larger penalties for repeated or multiple violations — to avoid blanket $500 fines for minor infractions. One council member said approximately 37 summonses had been sent and suggested pausing their reissuance until the council reviews and votes on a fine schedule.
The administrator said she would prepare a proposed fee schedule and circulate it in advance of the next meeting so councilors could deliberate before any new summonses are reissued.
Next steps: staff will draft a proposed fine/fee schedule for council review; the town will void the incorrect summonses already sent and will not reissue them until the council determines a replacement schedule.
