Want to toss a cup or fast food bag out of the window of your car in Columbia? Better think again, as it could cost you up to $1,000.
Last week after months of discussion, the Board of Aldermen passed a tough new litter ordinance that will take effect June 1.
“We just have to get some signs made and posted,” Ward 4 Alderman Mike Smith said. “We want people to know that we are serious about this problem. I went to several other areas that have high fines and you don’t see litter there. I think this will help and it’s coming soon.”
The ordinance was proposed several months ago when Smith had become frustrated with the amount of litter he saw around town. Then he and Mayor Justin McKenzie recently traveled to Picayune for meetings and noticed something downtown – an absence of litter.
“They put a strict ordinance into effect, and it is making a difference,” Smith said during the April 17 meeting.
Now Columbia is doing likewise. Ordinance 519 set the fine at up to $1,000. The city previously did not have a specific fine for littering.
The Board voted 5-0 to approve it. Smith made the motion to approve the draft ordinance after about 20 minutes of discussions to finalize some items. Ward 1 Alderman Wendell Hammond seconded the motion.
The 25-point ordinance is published in full on Page 8B in today’s newspaper and can also be viewed at City Hall. It includes sections defining litter and setting fines in public and private locations. The ordinance also regulates vehicles hauling litter or trash and also prohibits dumping on uninhabited or vacant properties.
In section 22 of the new ordinance, the penalty for littering is prescribed.
“It shall be unlawful for any person to violate any provision of this article,” the ordinance states. “Such a violation shall be a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. If a violation is continuing, each day’s violation shall be deemed a separate offense.”
