Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Code topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Storm Lake council moves to sharply raise property-maintenance fines
Summary
The Storm Lake City Council approved on first reading an ordinance that would raise municipal infraction fines for property-maintenance and nuisance violations from current levels (about $75/$125/$200) to $500/$750/$1,000 for first, second and third offenses; the change follows two public work sessions and staff said the city’s current fines are the lowest among similar communities.
The Storm Lake City Council on July 6 approved on first reading an ordinance to sharply increase municipal-infraction fines for property-maintenance and nuisance violations.
City staff told the council the current fee schedule — $75 for a first offense, $125 for a second and $200 for a third — has not been an effective deterrent and leaves Storm Lake well below comparable cities. Under the proposed amendment, fines would rise to $500 for a first offense, $750 for a second and $1,000 for a third. Staff said the amendment affects two portions of the city code: Title 5, Chapter 10 (property maintenance) and Title 8, Chapter 1 (nuisances).
“If they're trying to make a concerted effort to correct things, we don't cite them,” a staff presenter said, adding the increased penalties are intended as a stronger deterrent for chronic violators and to align Storm Lake with neighboring communities.
Councilmembers asked how the penalty cycle would be tracked. Councilperson Piercy asked whether violations would reset after a calendar year; staff responded the cycle is kept within a 12-month period so repeated violations within one year can escalate to higher fines.
The ordinance was presented as the first reading; council voted to approve that first reading (roll call vote recorded). The council did not receive public comments during the hearing and no amendments were proposed on July 6.
If adopted on subsequent readings, the ordinance would change the cited fine amounts and apply only to the cited property-maintenance and nuisance sections; staff said the change does not affect other municipal infractions.
The council is expected to bring the ordinance back for further readings and final adoption at a later meeting.
