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The City of Andalusia is moving forward with implementing an ordinance amendment and other measures to combat litter and junk on private property.

The amendment passed Tuesday will revise the city’s abatement ordinance to add language specifically targeting litter, junk and inoperable vehicles. According to Mayor Earl Johnson, the process for handling the incidents will be much like the current system pertaining to weed abatements.

“The property owner will receive a letter and if nothing is done they will receive a visit from our code compliance officer. After a certain amount of time, the city has the right to take action and abate the nuisance,” Johnson said.

Once the city steps in to clear a property of the items, the city can place a lien through property tax.

In addition to passing the ordinance amendment, the council also voted in favor of creating the position of Building Inspector II, which will be filled by a sworn police officer. This position is for a codes compliance officer and will be a fulltime position under the supervision of the Planning and Development Department. The officer will be available to assist the police department when needed.

“I think this is a big move for our city as it will allow us to handle these situations in a timely manner,” Johnson said.

The council also discussed the following items.

• Approved the purchase of computer hardware from Clear Winds Technology. The equipment will be used to update the police department’s servers. The cost is $43,784, which will be paid from the city’s capital budget.
• Also approved was a bid from S&P Communications in Opp for equipment to outfit new vehicles recently purchased for the police and fire departments. The equipment includes light bars, cages, controls and radios.
• The council voted to make Mayor Johnson its voting delegate at the League of Municipalities annual meeting. Councilman Joe Nix was approved as the alternate.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 16, 6 p.m., at city hall. A work session precedes the meeting, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the basement conference room. The public is invited to attend.