OTHELLO ORDINANCE

At the last council meeting the council attempted to pass an ordinance under the name of “Residential Vehicle Storage.” It was temporarily stalled. The ordinance, the way it presently stands, when passed, will allow the city to dictate to the property owner the number, type, size and condition of all vehicles parked on your property.

It will further allow the city to dictate where and what type of surface is required on which to park, as well as what type and where fences must be erected. This ordinance will supersede all previous ordinances and as such, grandfathered rights will be eliminated. Noncompliance will results in fines, penalties and possible liens on your property. This ordinance could easily cost many property owners thousands of dollars to bring their property into compliance. Even those property owners who think that they potentially stand to gain will lose their individual freedoms and may indeed find themselves out of compliance.

There is more to come – this ordinance only addresses front and side yards. Back yards are next!

Please contact you councilmen and the mayor to request a copy of the proposed ordinance, and be sure to state your views. This is not the correct approach to the problem. Please do not delay, time is of the essence.

Franz Laska

Othello