January 2020
9 THURSDAY
WEATHER
A!
PIZZ
PIZZA
!
75/51
62/38
Friday
Saturday
LEGEND PLUMBING & ROOTER
Brought to you by
PIZZA!
LIC# ML16126
Volume 55, Number 006
830.303.3335
T h e Vo i c e of Seguin To d a y
830-379-2234
New Seguin City Manager takes his seat at the council chambers
74/66 Today
City of Seguin working to get rid of junk cars off local streets, lawns By Darren Dunn (Seguin) -- Junked vehicles are becoming an increasing problem in the city of Seguin. That's one of the reasons why the Seguin City Council voted on Tuesday to give city staff more power to get some of those vehicles off lawns and city streets. Director of Planning and Codes Pamela Centeno says her code enforcement officers have been looking for ways to try to further abate the relatively high numbers of these vehicles throughout town.
"Code enforcement has been making some changes to the junk vehicle ordinance to just give them a little more enforcement ability to make sure we are addressing the junk vehicles and willing New Seguin City Manager Steve Parker, left, attends his first meeting of the Seguin City Council. to add some language. We've worked with By Darren Dunn says he's excited to be here where we can be very pro- should be very proud. I'm Andy, the city attorney, in making some ductive and accomplish a excited to join the team," changes to it and bringing those to you (Seguin) -- It was a new in the city of Seguin. lot of great things. So said Parker. today," said Centeno. beginning for the Seguin "It's been a great first two there's a lot of great City Council on Tuesday. The meeting wasn't just the days. This town, this com- momentum that has been Former City Manager The city has received complaints about the first meeting of the new munity, this staff has been started by city council and I Doug Faseler's last day on vehicles, and Centeno says the new rules year, but it was also the more than welcoming. I really plan on keeping this the job is officially the end will place limits as to how long some of the very first meeting for new spent a lot of time over the momentum moving for- of this month, but Faseler vehicles can be sitting uncovered, in one Seguin City Manager Steve holidays coming and doing ward. It's a special kind of had leave accumulated that spot, and in what is clearly a state of disretours of the facilities and so homely place and I'm really actually allowed his last pair. The new rules state that citations Parker. worth and I've gotten to excited. The team is profes- day to be around could be issued against the vehicle's owner Mayor Don Keil welcomed meet some of the commu- sional. The investment in Thanksgiving. Parker is if the vehicle has been there for 15 days or Parker to the meeting, and nity leaders, business own- facilities and infrastructure now the city's top adminis- more. Parker shared some ers and it's just a really fam- that you have put in place trator. He previously served thoughts about his first ily oriented type communi- has got a great backbone as assistant city manager Council members Chris Rangel and Fonda couple days on the job. He ty and I think it's a place for this community and you for the city of San Marcos. Mathis both questioned if 15 days was
adequate time for someone, who was doing the work themselves, to get the job done. Rangel says that might put a hardship on someone who need more time or money to get the repairs done. "Let's just say somebody is working on their car. They get paid once a month and they are waiting on their paycheck to fix their car and it's been sitting there 15 days with a broken wheel, as far as this goes, it says they can receive a citation for that, correct? said Rangel. The answer to Councilman Rangel's question is technically yes, but Centeno says that's not how their code enforcement officers work. "Our code compliance officers work very closely with the owners. The first thing that we always do is reach out to them and find out. Usually, a vehicle has been there for much longer than that if we get to the citation route. One of the things that our code enforcement officers are very good at is communicating directly with them. They send out a letter or they will actually show up at the site first and talk with them and allow them some time and they always ask what the story is and what their needs are and why that situation is so it allows them to work with them," said Centeno. City Attorney Andy Quittner went on to further explain that the 15-day rule would only apply to vehicles that were on public property. See JUNK, page 3
Warren Zerr • (830) 214 - 3219