Marble Falls passes nuisance ordinance amendments
MARBLE FALLS — After several months of give and take along with some controversy, the City Council passed several changes to the nuisance ordinances during its regular Nov. 20 meeting.
“The ordinance amendments we passed last night probably doesn’t make everybody happy,” Mayor George Russell said Nov. 21. “But it’s a start.”
In July, the council began wrestling with changes to various parts of the ordinances that dealt with property maintenance, vehicle parking, nuisances and even front-yard furniture. Residents voiced concerns during two public hearings leading to a town-hall meeting on the proposed amendments.
The city was considering banning anything but vehicles from being stored in car ports, but the amendments passed Nov. 20 allow for other items — if they are designed for outdoor use. The council also will allow for playground equipment and barbecue grills — if they are in safe working conditioning — to be in front yards.
One of the previous recommended changes banned such items from front yards.
Russell said though the council approved the amendments, the city won’t hit the streets anytime soon to enforce the new rules.
“We’re going to work with people for the first year,” the mayor said. “We want to help people come into compliance. And a lot of that means just going out and talking with folks. The idea behind (the changes) is to improve our community.”
Since the council started discussing the amendments, Russell said he noticed several neighborhoods have begun working together to beautify their homes and yards.
The mayor added the city will probably continue to tweak the amendments as staff and residents see the results.