WILLMAR -- The Willmar City Council will discuss possible ordinances at Monday night's meeting to deal with an increasing graffiti problem.
The Public Works/Safety Committee will recommend the council direct City Attorney Rich Ronning to draft three ordinances for council consideration.
One ordinance would prohibit possession of spray paint and markers by a juvenile without parental presence or written permission. The second would hold parents civilly and criminally responsible for damage caused by their children. The third would require property owners to remove graffiti as soon as is practical. The ordinances were among options presented by Police Chief Jim Kulset. He said the city is seeing a dramatic increase in graffiti on public and private property reported to the Police Department.
The problem is city-wide, with more cases reported in the core business or downtown area. Kulset said most offenders are younger individuals, and most of the "tagging'' is being done by four groups, which enjoy the public recognition they are receiving.
Thus far in 2008, said Kulset, the department has received reports of 110 cases of criminal damage to property, gang graffiti or gang-related material. He said the department has referred 12 juveniles involving 45 cases to the County Attorney's Office for prosecution. Also, the department believes it's close to sending 10 more cases involving an additional juvenile to the County Attorney's Office.
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Kulset said all criminal damage to property, especially "tagging,'' should be reported. "We encourage the public to call us as soon as possible,'' he said.
Public Works Director Mel Odens said one or two of his employees are removing graffiti every day.
Kulset said the council could consider any, all or none of his proposals.
Committee member Steve Gardner said he would like to see some community discussion.
Member Ron Christianson said offenders must face consequences for their actions or nothing will change. "Passing more laws will not change a whole lot of things,'' he said. "Until there are consequences, we'll see more of the same.''
Member Rick Fagerlie said he favors prohibiting possession and holding parents responsible for the damage, but he opposed a provision, which was dropped, that would require owners to remove graffiti no later than 72 hours after notification by law enforcement or building official.
Committee Chairman Doug Reese supported the prohibition on possession of the items.
The committee approved the three ordinances on a 3-1 vote, with Reese, Gardner and Fagerlie in favor and Christianson opposed.
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In other business, the committee:
- Received as information a request from Bethel Lutheran Church to close one block of downtown Becker Avenue Southwest in front of the church to allow three outdoor Sunday morning services during June, July and August. City staff was directed to talk to the church about the use of other outdoor sites rather than the street.
- Approved a federal grant agreement to pay preliminary engineering costs for moving the remote communications outlet from the former airport to the new airport. The grant will cover $31,920 of the $33,600 cost, with the city paying the $1,680 remainder. A remote communications outlet is an unmanned facility that provides communication between airports and pilots.
- Approved the low bid of $118,000 from Voss Plumbing and Heating of Paynesville for this year's water and sewer improvements. The Voss bid was the lowest of six bids opened.
- Set June 16 as the date for the street assessment hearing. Benefited property owners will be notified of proposed costs to be assessed for this year's street improvements.
- Approved the final payment of $2,167 to Design Electrical Contractors of St. Cloud for construction of street lights in the Water View Business Park. Total cost was $82,570.
- Voted unanimously to order preparation of plans and specifications for construction of Fifth Street Southeast, also known as the "mall road.'' Also, the committee voted 3-1 to order plans and specifications for construction of streets for the Westwind Estates Third Addition project, with Reese, Gardner and Fagerlie in favor and Christianson opposed.
