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enforcement
officer soon
Concerns raised by the Whiteville Downtown Development Commission at city council Tuesday night about unsightly trash and junk on Whiteville streets are legitimate and need attention.
One remedy is for city council to fund a code enforcement officer in the new budget year, and to make a commitment to condemn and tear down a certain number of dilapidated structures annually. The city could consider sharing a code enforcement officer with another municipality to cut costs.
Whiteville is in danger of falling prey to what’s commonly called the “broken windows syndrome.” The broken windows theory asserts that a community that lets the so-called little things -- like litter, junk cars and shoddy houses – slide will soon be plagued by more serious problems like crime and deterioration of the tax base.
A code enforcement officer would ensure that city ordinances are upheld and that substandard housing or commercial properties are either fixed up or condemned.
People who throw their old sofas and mattresses beside the street would be given warnings to clean up their mess or face assessments.
Last year, The News Reporter ran a series of photos in a feature called “Eyesore of the Week.” About 30 abandoned dilapidated houses and commercial properties, plus examples of roadside junk, were featured. A handful of the houses were torn down or fixed up by the owners, but most are still in the same poor condition.
Interestingly, a code enforcement officer would probably pay for himself. Just a single dilapidated structure or pile of junk beside the street not only has a demoralizing effect on surrounding property owners, it also lowers property values and makes resales difficult. When property values drop, so do tax revenues.
In addition to a code enforcement officer, city council should also see that the public works department systematically sends litter pick-up crews to all neighborhoods and especially along major thoroughfares where out-of-town visitors travel.
Another problem is that quite a bit of roadside trash is generated by contract roll-out garbage collection crews. Any trash that hits the ground from a roll-out container during collection should be picked up and put in the truck. That’s not happening now.
The city has a number of responsibilities, such as providing for public safety and water and sewer service, but the need to have a clean city can’t be overlooked.
Not only is the current situation a drag on morale, a city covered with roadside junk and rat’s-nest housing sends out bad vibes to potential investors and people interested in living in a “nice town.”
Whiteville is a nice town, but the people who let their properties deteriorate or carelessly toss junk by the roadside shouldn’t be allowed to let the city’s reputation suffer.