Monday, November 8, 2010

Limited options for re-offenders

HOBART -- Councilman Dave Vinzant, D-4th, wants the city to get tough on repeat offenders, those residents who clean up their debris-filled yards when ordered by the city, only to return to their hoarding ways.

"Can we ever reach the point where they get to city court? There has to be a mechanism to stop them," Vinzant said.

Vinzant mentioned two houses in particular, one on 39th Place and one on Indiana 51, in speaking about his frustration Wednesday to the Board of Works.

"They work and work in getting the yard all cleaned up and then it's back again like it was," Vinzant said. He said one yard was full of bags of trash.

Building official Mike Hannigan said he visited one of the houses again with an order to comply. Hannigan said this time, the homeowner was given only six days to comply.

Mayor Brian Snedecor said it could be possible to refer these repeat offenders to the court, which hears ordinance violations and has more enforcement power than the Board of Works. He said the Board of Works is limited to imposing a maximum $1,000 fine and putting a lien on the property.

In other matters, the board approved Boyd Construction Co.'s low bid of $69,272.50 for construction of a frontage road that extends about 200 feet, from the location of the old Momax Marble building on U.S. 30 to its new location. The money is coming from Lake County tax increment financing money, city attorney Anthony DeBonis said..." More

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