Code officers warn local businesses
Abused river banks and overflowing dumpsters rankled some county residents last week.
On Farm-to-Market Road 1023, a Knippa resident traveling home from Uvalde stopped Tuesday to collect cans at the river crossing. The resident said he collected several pounds worth of beer cans, but he also noted rotting animal carcasses and skins, spent fireworks, discarded plastic bottles and a towel.
Because river beds are state property, it is technically up to the state to clean up any litter that lies within said beds; any trash removal, however, is usually carried out by the county.
Uvalde County Judge Bill Mitchell said the county typically ensures cleanup by bringing probationers to sites to perform community service.
Mitchell said issuing citations for littering is difficult because authorities with Uvalde County Sheriff’s Department and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department must personally see an individual improperly dispose of refuse before a ticket can written.
However, if a citation is issued, the violation is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500.
Within the city of Uvalde, a resident recently alerted code enforcement officials to an overflowing dumpster near the intersection of Main and Park streets.
On Thursday morning, code enforcement officers arrived at the site to speak to business owners and inform them of the violation. Code enforcement officer Jovita Maldonado said the proprietors were given verbal warnings.
In the city of Uvalde – each owner, occupant, tenant or lessee using or occupying any residence or structure, or who has a business within the city, is required to keep and maintain garbage receptacles. It is also the responsibility of the customer to keep the area around the point of collection clean.
The city’s solid waste services is the exclusive provider of residential and commercial garbage collection and disposal services for all premises within the city. Garbage bags must be secured before they are thrown in garbage containers.
A violation is a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a $500 fine.
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