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Mayor Presents Censored List Of Code Violators At Meeting
September 15, 2009
A censored list of code violators did not go over very well for Century Mayor Freddie McCall Monday afternoon.
When the Century Town Council meet to discuss code enforcement violations that have reached the point of heading to a special magistrate or abatement by the town, Mayor Freddie McCall passed out a list of the 14 violators the town had met to discuss, but he had removed names and addresses from the list.
Click here to read both the censored and uncensored list. (See editor’s note at the bottom of the story.)
“I did not want to make a public spectacle out of them,” the mayor said. “We are not hiding anything.”
“We did not want to be the cause of that information being in the paper,” Council President Ann Brooks (pictured left) told spectators that questioned why the names were not made available. “…We did that intentionally; the mayor made that decision.” During the meeting, Brooks referred to a list in her paperwork to tell an audience member that his name and address did not appear on the list.
Council member Henry Hawkins, who said he was only given the edited list by the mayor, wanted to know how he was to make a decision based upon censored information.
“I can’t made a decision on something I don’t know,” Hawkins told the mayor. The mayor told Hawkins that he could receive a complete list with names and addresses by making a public records request.
According to the mayor and council, any code violator that had been repeatedly notified to correct their violations would face a $1,300 court fee when a special magistrate hearing was set to hear their violations.
“Once they are notified for a hearing, they are going to be charged — win, lose or draw,” council member Gary Riley said of the $1,300 court fee for a magistrate hearing.
The council voted to make a complete list — with names and address — public so that they were assured that everyone that might be faced with the $1,300 in fees was notified. The council will discuss sending the listed violators to the special magistrate or taking further action prior to their September 21 council meeting.
Editor’s note: On the code violation list pdf (click here) we have edited the complete list to remove an handwritten name that appeared at the bottom of the list. The name still appears at the top of the list, and the mayor said it was written at the bottom by mistake.
Comments
7 Responses to “Mayor Presents Censored List Of Code Violators At Meeting”
this ENTIRE community is based on the buddy system and always will be. Nothing has change in many years and nothing is going to with the same’ol people making the rules. The rules only apply when it doesnt apply to a family member of the people in charge. This is the most discusting community I have ever seen and it seems that things will NEVER change~!
Yeah, I think what it all boils down to is Hawkinsis mad because he didn’t want the code enforcement to start with. All he wants to do is gripe about everything. As far as the names go, if you know you been coded, then clean the mess up and that will end it. The only reason Hawkins is so upset, is because he wants to protect his friends. The heck with what happens to the rest of them. If my friends are on the list, then they need to clean up their place. Hey Century girl there are some places that look as bad or worse than Mayo Street. It is a shame this town has to argue over cleaning a place up, and the heck with what their name is!
All need to see the hole picture. This council needed to make a decision on what to do about the violations. Not who had them, they did not need to know names. These people had recived there notice and had not complyed with the law. All they were asking was for them to have to go court to be fined, if they did not fix there problem. There is a difference in selling it on the court house steps,and giving one more chance to get it right. They would have been contacted to let them know what to do next.. The first paper they got said if you don’t comply you will have to go to the court and how much it would cost. These people have been contacted more than 2-3 times. No the council did not need to know names, so they could play the buddy system.
I think “concerned citizen” is missing the point. This is not about whether one is for or against code inforcement. If someone doesn’t
pay their property taxes then the county prints it in the paper…the person’s name and amount owed and all after the deadline to pay. Why shouldn’t the councilmen be entitled to the actual list if they are asked to vote on something concerning it?
As for code enforcement, I think they should have come in a began with the worse looking places first and then move on to the less offensive places. It still bothers me that the lot on Mayo street where someone actually died in the house fire..still sits there full of rubble..it’s a shame. The city should clean it up and send the owners a bill.
Mr. Hawkins had not wanted this code enforcement from the get go. He has did everything he could to destroy it. We had a good start off, and I would like to see it get going again. Maybe Mr. Hawkins doesn’t mind living in the slums, but I sure do, and I think it is time to get out of them.
how could a councilman or a mayor not want the town to look nice? I think they need to get some priorities in order, and that means cleaning this place up so we can get business to want to come in here. If he doesn’t care anymore about this town than what he is showing he doesn’t need to be up there on the council seat.
There is no need for names. These people know who they are. And yes, they need to be fined.
The code enforcement started out so good, but what happen. Even some of the people that had clean up a little, has started to junk up again.
It is sick to see some of these places. I really thought that by now they would have been clean up.
If you make them paid a fined maybe you will start seeing some more changes, like a clean Town.
Somebody hiding something? Remember Rev. Hawkins has a big ole public records he asked for back in December that he never did get. Sure looks interesting.