CF ponders ordinance enforcement
The holiday may be over but the noise continues as Clark Fork authorities grappled with enforcing ordinances regarding illegal fireworks and the city’s curfew at this week’s regular meeting.
“Illegal fireworks are sort of a tradition,” Council member Russ Schenck quipped, but no one laughed. “We need the ordinance if people get really stupid, but unless we hire law enforcement, which we don’t have the resources for, our hands are tied.”
Local resident, Vickie Bennett said, “What makes people think they have the right to shoot them off? If the illegal fireworks start a fire that burns down a house, who’s responsible? It’s the danger of the whole town burning down and nothing is being done about it. They (the county) have tripled our taxes, they can send an officer.”
Schenck said that any individual can call a complaint into the sheriff’s office. He said that he wondered how many complaints actually were filed during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“It’s not up to the council to run around town looking for violations,” Schenck said.
The council will consider putting signs up before the next Fourth of July reminding people that illegal fireworks are against the city’s ordinance and that fines can be assessed when people are caught firing off the illegal noise bangers. The council will also look into the feasibility of hiring a police officer to patrol the day before, the holiday and the day after next year.
Council member Jim Junget said that the city should put the culpability onto the parents.
“It’s the parents shooting them off!” Schenck replied.
A rash of vandalism and break-ins prompted the discussion of the Public Safety Ordinance regarding curfew. Mayor Tom Shields said that while the sheriff’s department continues its investigation into these episodes the citizens are reminded that the siren that sounds at 10 p.m. is the signal for the curfew for all children under the age of 18 which ends at 6 a.m. in the morning.
Council member Brian Cantrell suggested that authorities review the ordinance to make sure that parents of children guilty of curfew infractions can be fined.
In other council business, council member, Linda Reed requested that the city consider hiring an arborist. She quoted values implied by the city of Sandpoint regarding the willow trees that were destroyed recently, and said that residents of Clark Fork should be cognizant of the benefits of trees.
“We need to educate people that our trees are valuable,” Reed said as she explained that homeowners have trimmed trees that were on the line between their property and the city’s and that limbing trees at the wrong time of year can cause damage to the tree or even kill it.
The city will mention in its next newsletter that trees that border city property should not be trimmed without the resident contacting the city for permission.
The council will hold a budget workshop on Monday, July 21 at 6:30 and will also conduct a workshop on Monday, July 28 to discuss fire department business regarding cost recovery and subscription rates. The next regular Clark Fork city council meeting will be held Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.