An amendment to update City of Bethel nuisance codes to eliminate any loopholes that could impact victims of domestic violence, such as eviction by landlords for calling the police too many times, has been put off for a final adoption vote until the next City Council meeting.
Council members found that though the current draft of the ordinance closes potential loopholes and would not prompt legal action for failing to protect victims of domestic violence as now required by state law, a question of an added fine held up the vote.
As written, the amendment adds a fine of $500 for any unauthorized enforcement of the code by someone other than the City Manager. The problem that Council members Leif Albertson and Mark Springer said they have with this language is that only the City Manager would be able to enforce the code to begin with.
“Yeah, we shouldn’t kick people out for being victims of domestic violence, but it starts one way and ends another,” said Council member Albertson. “I was not clear, because I don’t think a landlord would ever be a position of enforcing city code. So, I’m fine with the intent of this, I think, but I guess if I – I mean, I read it many times – and if I don’t understand it, I guess I worry that other people may not as well.”
A unanimous all-in-favor motion was then agreed to by the Council to postpone further discussion, revision, clarification, and a final vote until the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting.