Mount Pleasant City Code amended during Monday meeting
City ordinances pertaining to property maintenance and public safety were amended or eliminated at tonight's Mount Pleasant City Commission meeting.
Amendments were largely made for clarity.
Sections 130.01, 131.10, 132.03 and 132.04 of the Mount Pleasant City code were updated so they matched the most recent, updated previsions. These parts of the code dealt with minor in possession charges, larceny and using false identification for any reason.
“The changes here are to ensure consistency with state law in regards to penalties for some of these (local) infractions,” said Nancy Ridley, Mount Pleasant city manager. “(It’s to) remove what’s known as the ‘catch-all provision’ which was a bit vague in the (original) ordinance.”
Section 130.99 of the Mount Pleasant City Code was also repealed to coincide with state law.
According to a memorandum brought forward by Glenn Feldhauser, director of public safety, prosecution of crimes done by the Mount Pleasant Police Department may be carried out by the City Attorney or County Prosecuting Attorney.
Who attends to the prosecution depends on the nature of the offense. City Ordinance violations are handled by the City Attorney and state violations are handled by the County Prosecutor.
Section 130.01 provided a “catch all” for violations not specifically addressed by ordinance. The deletion of parts to this ordinance now prevents the City Attorney or County Prosecuting Attorney to oversee matters of the state.
Parts of the Mount Pleasant City Code, sections 152.004 and 152.007, were also amended to refer to the latest edition of the Property Maintenance Code.
“This will minimize any conflicts between the Building Code and the Property Maintenance Code,” Ridley said. “This amendment also would make specific references to other sections of the Code of Ordinances, or proper references to the new 2013 (Property Maintenance) Code.”
A public hearing was opened on both code changes, but there were no comments from the audience. Commissioner Nicholas Madaj motioned for approval of both sets of changes, and they were unanimously approved.
The next Mount Pleasant City Commission meeting is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 in City Hall at 320 W. Broadway.
