The proposed Clean Community Ordinance is intended to provide for the uniform prohibition throughout the City limits of any and all littering on public or private property. The current ordinance broadly addresses litter, which has made enforcement challenging. The Clean Community Ordinance more specifically defines litter and littering, allowing for more straight-forward Police enforcement.

The proposed ordinance makes it unlawful for any person to dump, deposit, throw, leave, discard, place, discharge, dispose, or drop litter on any public or private property in the City limits or any waters located within the City limits, unless it is deposited in a designated litter receptacle or unless authorized by the proper public authority.

The ordinance specifically:

• Prohibits persons from sweeping, blowing or dumping litter, leaves or yard waste into the gutter, streets or sidewalks. Doing so negatively impacts drainage, and pollutes waterways
• Requires business owners to keep their business premises free of litter
• Prohibits those in vehicles from throwing litter onto the rights of way
• Requires truck operators to take steps to prevent any loads, contents or litter from being blown onto the street
• Prohibits the placement of handbills on vehicles or private premises
• Defines graffiti, and requires those found to have applied graffiti to remove it within 24 hours of notification

The Clean Community Ordinance specifies the following penalties for those found in violation:

• Minimum fine of $50 for first offense, $75 for second offense, $150 for third offense
• Maximum fine of $500 or imprisonment or both
• The violator may be directed to remove from any public property, for a distance not to exceed one mile, any litter the person has deposited and any and all litter deposited thereon by anyone else prior to the date of execution of sentence
• The violator may be directed to reimburse the city for the cost of removal and/or cleanup of the litter that the person deposited on public property
• Judges may publish the names of persons convicted of violating the Clean Community Ordinance. 

Approval