Smiths Station to begin fully enforcing city ordinances

The city of Smiths Station announced Monday that it has partnered with the Lee County Sheriff’s Department to begin issuing citations for violations of municipal ordinances that the city has not yet had the resources to adequately enforce.

Smiths Station only has one code enforcement officer, whose job is to investigate possible violations of code and to notify business and property owners if they are out of compliance, according to a news release from the city.

“We’ve been somewhat successful with the current procedures. Unfortunately there are just some who refuse to comply and that’s not fair to those who do,” said Mayor Bubba Copeland.

“It’s time for us to hold everyone accountable for the ordinances that the former and current administration have put into place to protect the public health and welfare of our citizens.”

The city’s contract with the Sheriff’s Department will be “strictly” for municipal violations. Those who refuse to comply with court laws will receive a misdemeanor citation with fines, and a possible court date with the county’s district judge. The Sheriff’s Department will continue to provide enforcement for traffic and other county violations within the city, according to the release.

“We will hold court at the Smiths Station Government Center,” said city clerk Scott Johnston. “It will not be municipal court because the city is not in the position to have its own municipal court right now. For the time being, the plan is to hold court at least once per month.”

A list of all city ordinances can be found at smithsstational.gov/government/.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Smiths Station to begin fully enforcing city ordinances."