Property owners who have graffiti on their buildings or other property now must remove it within five days. They can do so on their own or by picking up free recycled paint from Public Works and hiring juvenile detention to do the work for $50.
Failure to remove graffiti could net a fine of up to $360. Owners also could be charged for the county’s cost of cleaning up the graffiti.
The ordinance for nuisance vegetation carries similar penalties. It prohibits grass or weeds taller than 10 inches, thickets that could harbor pests and vegetation that is a fire hazard.
The ordinances are similar to those already in effect inside Salem city limits. The county ordinances apply only to unincorporated areas within the Salem-Keizer urban growth boundary.
In other business, commissioners:
- Voted unanimously to adopt the 2004-05 Marion County budget. The overall
budget is $304,467,094 and the general fund is $68,077,087, both of which
include a variety of reserves.
- Initiated a planning process that could affect how cities within the county can grow. County planners will begin discussing state projections for county population numbers for 2020.