Tompkinsville City Commission OKs action against city code violations

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January 1, 2013

Tompkinsville City Commission OKs action against city code violations

By GINA KINSLOW Glasgow Daily Times The Glasgow Daily Times Tue Jan 01, 2013, 10:24 PM CST

GLASGOW — Tompkinsville city commissioners have agreed to allow City Attorney Reed N. Moore Jr. to seek legal action against city residents who have violated the city's property code.

Commissioners followed Moore's advice in making the decision.

“In my opinion, what the city commission needs to do is to authorize us to process two or three of these cases,” Moore said. “Nobody's complying. Nobody's going to comply. So far nothing has happened to them if they don't comply. If you all authorize me to take whichever cases you want, and process those and publicize those, then I think you will have some compliance.

“Nobody's doing anything because nobody's making them do anything. It will cost you a little money, but that's the only way we're going to get anything done.”

Some of the property code violations the city is experiencing deal with cats, chickens, rodent infestations and dilapidated buildings. The city has an ordinance that addresses property code violations, and according to Moore, it is designed for violators to receive citations.

Mayor Jeff Proffitt told commissioners he had reviewed the city commission's minutes on the issue.

“It's been a year since we started this,” he said. “We've seen some people take action.”

Kerry “Red” Schabacker, code enforcement officer, agreed and said a few city residents did comply.

“But the worst ones are still exactly where they are,” Moore said.

“We've got to back this up or they are going to call our bluff,” Schabacker said.

Commissioners did not discuss which cases they would be seeking legal action against.

Schabacker had shared with commissioners earlier in the meeting that if the commission did choose to seek legal action against property code violators that they would be civil cases and not criminal cases.

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