Trinity City Council unanimously approved a change to the city’s nuisance ordinance that will let city staff remedy chronic nuisance violations at the same location within a calendar year.

Examples of nuisance violations include uncut grass, piled up junk (including furniture, appliances such as refrigerators and stoves, as well as cars), accumulation of trash outside of a trash container or structure and burned or otherwise partially destroyed structures.

“Recent legislation will allow municipalities to expedite the correction of nuisances committed by chronic violators,” City Manager Ann Bailie told the Council at the Nov. 17 meeting.

The change will allow the city to correct violations to the nuisance ordinance after the initial violation, she continued. Any expenses the city incurs while correcting the nuisance will become a lien against the property until paid.

“This is really just to keep us from dealing with chronic violations,” said Joe Rainey, code enforcement officer.

If the same person committed the same violation at two or three different properties, or two different violations at the same property, he explained, that would not count as a chronic violation under the amended ordinance.

“It has to be the same violation occurring three times at the same property,” he elaborated.

Rainey said that Trinity averages 10 to 12 nuisance violations per month, with summer months seeing an increase usually due to grass that needs cutting, and has one or two really chronic violators. The biggest nuisances in Trinity are uncut grass and junk that is piled up in sight of neighbors or passersby.

In other business, the Council approved a zoning change from Office and Industrial to Residential Agricultural for 11.7 acres on N.C. 62 owned by Carol Hurley. It was formerly the location of From the Inside ... Out Salon and Spa.

“I have no intention of going back to a business (in that location) in the foreseeable future,” Hurley said.

Council also approved two $500 funding requests, including one for the Northwestern Randolph County Arts Council’s Lollapalooza Musical Festival. The other will help fund a distinguished professorship in honor of David M. Lawrence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government.

Lawrence, who is retiring, provided assistance to local governments across the state, including Trinity.

“Trinity elected officials and staff have relied on him for advice on a variety of issues, which he provided at no cost,” Bailie noted.