(AP) — The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council voted Wednesday to create a Litter Court to hear cases of city and parish residents whose yards are overgrown with weeds or cluttered with trash.
The council voted unanimously for the measure, which was sponsored by Mayor-President Kip Holden’s administration.
Irma Plummer, assistant chief administrative officer, said the Litter Court idea arose from complaints Holden heard about trash and debris while conducting a series of listening tours across the parish in January.
Litter Court will operate on Thursday mornings in the Metro Council chambers with an administrative hearing officer deciding cases, Plummer said.
Violators face possible fines of $117 plus court costs of $50 if they fail to correct the violation within 15 days of getting a warning notice, she said. After the 15 days elapse, they are sent a certified letter with a date to appear for a hearing in Litter Court.
The Metro Council did not discuss the item before voting to approve it. But Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker said after the meeting the court should help address a chronic problem in all council districts.
He said council members often get complaints from constituents about unsightly and unsanitary piles of trash and debris in yards.
Plummer said the program is to be launched Aug. 1. The first hearing is expected in mid-September, she said.—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]