North Battleford's hotly-debated new property maintenance and nuisance abatement bylaw - one that had been held up for weeks over concerns about its anti-graffiti provisions - was finally signed, sealed and delivered Monday.
Council passed the new bylaw unanimously on third reading after council agreed to add an amendment that will prevent property owners from being penalized through fines for the acts of others who vandalize their property.
The amendment covers the offence provisions of 65.2 to 65.4, in which fines are assessed of $100 for first offenders, $200 for second offenders and $300 for third and subsequent offenders for violating the bylaw's provisions on overgrown weeds and untidy and unsightly property.
However, victims of graffiti are off the hook as far as fines are concerned. According to the amendment, s. 65.5 reads:
"The offence provisions in Sections 65.2 to 65.4 do not apply to owners issued an order pursuant to Sections 9.1 or 14 when the removal of graffiti from their property is required."
According to a memo from City Clerk Debbie Wohlberg, the section does not remove the property owner from their responsibility to remove the graffiti, as any unpaid expenses and costs to remedy the contravention can be added to taxes on the property to which the work was done.
Councillor Trent Houk previously led the charge against the bylaw's graffiti's provisions on the grounds that those hit by graffiti were being victimized twice - once by the graffiti artists and a second time by the fine provisions in the bylaw.
However, he was pleased to see his concerns addressed by the amendment.
"I'd like to thank administration for hearing our concerns," Houk said during his comments before the final vote, in which he joined the rest of council in supporting the amendment and the bylaw.
"Having this amendment put in there will make a lot of people feel better in our community, and it certainly makes me feel a lot better about moving this bylaw forward," he said.
