City seizes vehicles from private property

After several months of attempting to negotiate an amicable solution and issuing multiple citations, four vehicles violating a city ordinance were removed from a residence on South Park Street.

Utilizing the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code and the City's existing ordinance, Codes Enforcement was able to remove vehicles that were unlicensed or were in various states of disrepair. The vehicles will eventually be sold at auction and the proceeds will offset the expense of having the items removed. If there is money remaining, it will go to the property owner.

City Ordinance 13-303 prohibits dismantled, partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked, junked, or discarded vehicles inside the city limits, unless they are stored in a building. Pursuant to the ordinance, the city has the right to remove the vehicles at the owners' expense after sufficient notice has been served.

Codes official Brad Rasbury stated, "Coming onto someone's property and removing their things is the very last thing we want to do. Once we have exhausted our efforts to have the property owner do it themselves, we have no other choice. Ordinances such as these are created with the best interest of the community in mind. Today's actions are evidence of our commitment to promoting a cleaner Hohenwald."