No straight answers

Dear editor:

It's easy to understand the frustration displayed in letters with our local government. I called the Solid Waste Department Tuesday to ask a question and was subsequently bounced to three different departments, none of whom seemed to want to help, all saying it was not their purview and giving me another number to call.

My question was simple: There is an adjacent rental property across from me, at 213 Cooper St. The owner of the residence is listed in public records. There have been numerous renters over the past year. At least once a month, sometimes more, large piles of everything from wood, bedding, appliances, cabinets, etc., get piled up in an eyesore right on the edge of the street. Sometimes it smells. There have been instances in which it was piled over 5 feet high.

Solid waste does come by and pick it up after a few days, but it's a blight on the neighborhood.

Is there not some sort of ordinance or code in place (or could be put in place) that would penalize the owner(s) of rentals such as this who habitually rent to trashy people? That was my simple question I could not get an answer to.

Of course, this is not the only such property and I've noticed around town that it always seems to be the same ones that continually have large amounts of debris and garbage placed out front. The city leaders (and I use the term loosely) need to enact something to penalize the owners of the property. A few hefty fines would probably make them be a little more circumspect in whom they are renting to.

Anthony Lloyd

Hot Springs

Editorial on 05/24/2018

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