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Selectboard reviews revised junk ordinance; asks for clearer enforcement language
Summary
The Selectboard reviewed a draft junk-ordinance revision that broadens the town’s authority to define nuisance property and to remove debris at owner expense; members asked legal and staff to clarify enforcement steps and the 15-inch grass rule near junk.
The Selectboard reviewed a rewritten junk ordinance put forward by the economic development committee that broadens the town’s definition of "junk" and enables the town to remove hazardous or nuisance material at the owner’s expense.
Staff member explained the changes: the draft adds leaves and piled garbage, clarifies what counts as junk or a junk motor vehicle, and ties an overgrown-grass threshold (15 inches) specifically to grass within 10 feet of defined junk. "We added the element of leaves in the fall," the chair noted while describing the intent to address storm-drain clogging and vermin concerns. Legal counsel previously advised the town to keep a separate general grass ordinance, so the current language limits the 15-inch rule to areas proximate to junk.
Board members sought clearer enforcement language about who issues notices and whether enforcement actions must be brought before the selectboard. Staff member explained that the selectboard’s policies are executed by designees — typically the chief and manager’s office — and that the department currently sends letters and tickets and coordinates hearings if owners contest actions. Several members requested cleaner wording and a second pass to incorporate feedback before formal adoption.
The board took the review as an opportunity to collect edits rather than to finalize the ordinance; staff will update the draft and return it for further consideration and a formal public-notice process as required by local ordinance adoption rules.
