(Posted Feb. 26, 2020)
By Andrew Garrett, Staff Writer
Mount Sterling village council elected to hire a code enforcement officer in its continued effort to keep the village in good physical order. The decision came at council’s regular meeting on Feb. 24.
Mayor Marci Darlington named 49-year-old non-resident Scott Lind to the position.
“I look forward to working with you guys and getting the place cleaned up,” he said.
Lind was resistant to speak too much about his background given the unpopular reception he might receive from some village residents given the nature of his duties. Council decided to go with someone who lives outside of the immediate area to hopefully circumnavigate any possible unpleasant interactions.
Lind is scheduled to start at the beginning of March.
The code enforcement officer is the “frontline” in the effort to maintain a beautiful village, according to council member Becky Martin, chair of the village’s nuisance and abatement committee. A part-time position, the officer will spend 10 hours per week identifying and tagging “nuisance” violations of village code.
Once identified and tagged, violations will then be up to the village solicitor to enforce, Martin said. Fines and fees (such as might be incurred when the village has to mow a derelict lawn) that are not paid in a timely manner will be assessed to the owner’s property taxes.
The nuisance and abatement committee is working out fines and timeframes for residents to redress any violations. A list of nuisance laws can be found by accessing the “Nuisance and Abatement” page on the village website, mtsterling.org.
Council also passed on emergency a resolution accepting the discontinuation of services provided by the Fayette County Zoning and Building Department. The resolution essentially is a “cleaning up of last details” as the village transitions to using West Jefferson for its zoning inspection services, according to council member Andrew Drake.
