Brownwood City Council approved an ordinance on first reading Tuesday authorizing the city’s code enforcement officers to issue citations to enforce all ordinances and codes adopted by the City of Brownwood.

This ordinance establishes the authority for Registered Code Enforcement Officers to issue citations.  Registered Code Enforcement Officers are charged with the responsibility of seeking to educate and bring about citizens’ willing compliance with city ordinances.  They are also trained to gather evidence and apply constitutional process to present the case in court.

The current, conventional “letter process” provided for in the ordinance requires a minimum of 37 days to get an uncooperative offender to Municipal Court each time an offense is committed.  It is often longer due to failed promises to comply, mail delays, weekends, and etc.  Inaction by code enforcement during this period of time causes neighbors to think the city is being unresponsive.  Issuance of a citation reduces the time required to appear in Municipal Court to 10 days from the date of issuance.

Brownwood City Manager Bobby Rountree said that citations will typically be used only in severe cases or repeat offenses such as excessive vegetation, scattered trash, junk vehicles, dilapidated outbuildings, and old tires.

“It is directed mainly at those who willfully ignore our requests and our letters to clean up their property,” Rountree said. “It has nothing to do with plumbing, building, electrical code side of the ordinance.”

Rountree said that the issuance of a citation will be the last resort for code enforcement officials.

According to city officials, in general, Code Enforcement will:

• Seek personal contact to educate and bring about voluntary compliance
• Use the lengthier letter process for first time offenders
• Issue Citations to repeat offenders of violations who are uncooperative and who willfully disregard the code enforcement process

The Brownwood City Council will have to vote and approve the ordinance on second and third reading at their next meeting the second Tuesday of April before it goes into effect.

In other action taken in Tuesday’s Brownwood City Council meeting:

*Brownwood City Council approved a modification to their water supply contract with the Brown County Water Improvement District.  The city is considering digging some water wells in the area of the Massey Sports Complex for irrigation purposes and this change was needed to move forward.

*Brownwood City Council approved an ordinance on second and third readings amending the Utility Rate Ordinance Number 11-20 setting charges, fees, rates, and deposits for customers on the Brownwood water, sewer and sanitation system to include a fuel surcharge for hauling solid waste.

*Brownwood City Council ratified Mayoral appointees to the Zoning Board of Adjustments.  Those appointments are Branon Evans as regular member and Ryan Locker as alternate member.

*Brownwood City Council voted to accept the City of Brownwood’s Comprehensive Plan as presented by students of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University.