Clean Up or Pay Up: Code Enforcement in Benton

Code enforcement officer Wes Gardner is a one-man show. In a city of 23,000 people, he`s the only code enforcement officer in Benton. "There`s just some days you get overtaken...some days, eight hours is not enough hours in the day," Gardner said. So, it`s taking police building inspectors and code enforcement officers to tackle the problem. They went door to door on Friday delivering notices to people in violation. They ticketed 13 nuisance homes, issued 4 parking tickets, and tagged 15 cars with 72-hour notices, on 7 different streets. And with just one officer, code violations can get out of hand faster than he can write citations. "Anywhere from refrigerators, to junk to mobile home or airstream trailers, non-operable vehicles," Gardner said. And for one house, the list goes on. Tenants were cited for having trash in the yard and neighboring stream, and electricity violations. The city says the tenants are $1500 past due. "They can be fined $500 a day for everyday it stays there from this date," Gardner said. "We`ve decided to go to the high school area and target about a five-block area," said Benton Mayor Rick Holland. Another home on North Street was burned in October. But the home still stands today, with broken windows and a sink in the yard. "Grime breeds crime," said Police Chief Gary Sipes. "You`re looking at a house that obviously no one cares about. It just gives a sign to the criminal element that nobody cares." Most of the homes weren`t given citations, but warning notices. They`ve got seven to thirty days to correct the violations before being cited and possibly fined. Police and code enforcment officers say once they`ve taken care of today`s houses, they`ll head to other neighborhoods until they`ve been all over the city.