Council tackles ordinances

During its regular meeting Oct. 5, the New England City Council discussed letters sent to residents regarding ordinance violations and considered the possibility of rezoning some lots in the community.
Council member Kristen Jung asked for clarification about letters being sent to residents regarding ordinance violations, asking for more transparency in the process.
City Auditor Jason Jung explained if a council member, the mayor or a city employee brings an ordinance violation to his attention, the city sends a letter to the resident asking the resident to correct the violation.
Citizens can also report violations to the city, Mayor Lyle Kovar said.
“And then pictures are taken and they would be sent a letter,” Kovar said.
A letter detailing the community’s spring cleanup days and reminding residents about related ordinances was mailed to all New England residents last spring in anticipation of the all-school reunion.
A second letter was later sent to approximately 40 residents who had not complied with ordinances outlined in the first letter or where new issues had arisen.
“The majority of them are second notices,” Jason Jung said.
A third letter has now been sent to about 20 residents who are still in violation.
The major violations are having junk in yards or unlicensed vehicles, he said.
“Our town, comparable to before, it looks much, much better,” Jason Jung said. “There's been a lot more communication this time.”
“We’re really proud of the residents of town, because they have made a huge improvement overall in what our city looks like, so we’re really happy with the response that we’ve had and all the progress that people have made,” Jason Jung said.
The council is also working on drafting ordinances to limit or control scooters, e-bikes and small motorcycles with an engine displacement of under 50cc in city limits.
Last month, the council discussed drafting an ordinance with the Hettinger County Sheriff’s Office, citing issues with children not following the rules of the road.
“We’ve had a lot of motorcycles or e-bikes and scooters that are going faster than the speed limit and kids riding without a helmet, different things like that, so the city council brought it up to the Hettinger County Sheriff's Department last month,” Jason Jung said. “The council is just very worried about the safety of the kids first and foremost, and just to make sure that everybody’s following the rules of the road as well.”
The Zoning Commission is also working on revamping some ordinances.
“We’re trying to overhaul the subdivision and new development section to bring it more up to code,” said Butch Frank, who serves on the Zoning Commission.

Rezoning considered
The purchase of some city lots by residents prompted the council to discuss moving forward with rezoning the property.
The city has sold four of the 10 lots it owns near the swimming pool and now plans to rezone those lots from commercial to residential so homes can be built on the lots.
A public hearing will be held for the process, with notices published in the Hettinger County Herald, with first and second readings at city council meetings.
The council tabled advertising seven lots it owns on the southeast corner of town near the trailer court. Those lots are now zoned residential. A resident’s request to purchase city-owned lots led to the city’s need to advertise the lots to the public. That resident’s indication he would want to place a shop on the property would mean the lots would need to be rezoned to commercial.
The council will decide what stipulations will be included before advertising the lots for sale, with plans to further discuss those plans next month.

In other business:
• A new beer and liquor license was approved for the American Legion Anton Ulijohn Post No. 66 in the post’s new building, which is an additional license for the city. The city does not have a limit on licenses currently and now has four entities with beer and liquor licenses in city limits.
• The city started a new six-month CD for $100,000 at 4% interest at Bravera Bank from the city sales tax fund.
The council's next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the New England city hall.