FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2018
Contact: Minimum Housing @ 401-767-9243
City Safeguards High Quality of Life with
Strict Enforcement of Landscape Overgrowth and
Trash & Debris Public Nuisance Ordinances
WOONSOCKET, RI: City minimum housing inspectors are actively enforcing local Public Nuisance and Landscape Ordinances to ensure property owners cited for either accumulation of exterior trash and debris or overgrown grass and weeds at residential and commercial premises comply with strict cleanup deadlines.
"Our inspectors are more aggressively pursuing owners who are not maintaining their properties," said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. "The increased activity is a clear reflection of the inspection team understanding the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy environment throughout the City and the importance it has upon the quality of life citywide."
Inspectors monitor and perform inspections of properties citywide daily. Upon identifying a violation of the Public Nuisance or Landscape Ordinances, Minimum Housing issues a citation and telephones the owner if a valid number is provided and on record. Citation recipients must comply within five to seven days. Otherwise, a Municipal Court Summons will be issued mandating a court appearance before a judge.
This calendar year, the City has issued 164 Public Nuisance citations and 85 Landscape citations. Thus far, 102 of the Public Nuisance citations were corrected without Municipal Court Action, while 42 Municipal Court Summons have been issued to non-compliant property owners. Municipal Court Summons have been issued to 20 of the Landscape citations non-compliant property owners and 40 were corrected without Municipal Court action.
"I want to thank our Minimum Housing Inspection Team headed by Jacob Neves and the Public Works staff for the increased attention they are giving to the beautification efforts of the City," said Mayor Baldelli-Hunt. "Planting flowers, gathering litter and paving are some of the many ways they continuously keep our streets, parks and municipal lots beautiful for all of us."
City Senior Housing Inspector Jacob Neves noted, "In my opinion, we have experienced improved levels of compliance since implementing our new procedures and we look forward to continued improvement."
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