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Neighbors raise harassment, occupancy and sanitation complaints at Pleasantville council meeting
Summary
Two Pleasantville residents told council they face harassment and property issues, including a resident allowing a homeless veteran to "live" in a vehicle and reports of a neighbor's dog defecating on property; Mayor Dumolt said council has limited jurisdiction over vehicles parked on public roadways.
Two residents used the public-comment portion of the Village of Pleasantville Council meeting on June 11 to raise long-running neighborhood disputes that they said have affected their safety and property.
Lloyd Blackburn of 412 E. Columbus St. told council he has endured two years of what he described as bullying and said he has permission from a property owner (identified in the transcript as Greg Shull) to allow a homeless veteran to "live" in a vehicle on property beside the railroad tracks while the veteran awaits housing. Blackburn said he has retained an attorney and spoken with the prosecutor about the situation.
Steven Mayes of 418 E. Columbus St. complained that a neighbor's dog has been defecating on his property and said he has involved the Humane Society. Mayes also said the person living in the vehicle near the tracks is not sanitary and he worried for the safety of his grandchildren when they visit.
Mayor Michelle Dumolt responded to residents' concerns by explaining that the village has occupancy rules related to living arrangements in vehicles and that council does not have jurisdiction to enforce restrictions on vehicles parked on a public roadway; no formal enforcement action was recorded in the minutes. The transcript does not record any immediate remedial steps taken by council staff at the meeting, and both residents' allegations remained unresolved in the record.
The meeting minutes note the two addresses of the commenters and record that Blackburn said he had consulted an attorney and prosecutor; no code-enforcement or court filings are listed in the minutes.
The council did not vote or direct staff to initiate specific enforcement actions during the meeting; Administrator Samantha McCreery was recorded as tasked with posting council vacancies and to draft an ordinance on disposal of long-stored equipment, but no follow-up item specific to the neighborhood dispute appears in the minutes.
