HANCOCK – At its regular meeting Wednesday, the Hancock City Council approved changes to six city ordinances, but during a public hearing on the changes, some city residents expressed concern about some aspects of them.

The ordinances the council approved were:

1) making violation of ordinances a civil infraction with fines rather than a misdemeanor,

2) removing three previous ordinances involving taxis, the use of the the national Building Code, and a code involving dwellings over one story,

3) prohibiting leaving indoor furniture outdoors over an extended period,

4) adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code,

5) allowing animals or birds kept as pets, which are kept indoors at all times,

6) weed and grass control.

During the public hearing on the proposed ordinances, resident Susan Burack said although in the past ordinances weren’t enforced enough, the change to increasing fines for continued non-compliance was “extremely punitive.”

Burack said she thinks neighbors who are having some sort of dispute could use the ordinance to punish their neighbors.

“This could become a very unfriendly place,” she said.

Resident Frank Fiala said he’s concerned the ordinance prohibiting indoor furniture from being left outside for more than 24 hours could be a burden, especially for elderly people who may not be able to remove the furniture in that allotted time.

“I think the 24 hours is a little capricious,” he said.

Fiala said he agrees with Burack’s concern about how people could use the ordinances against their neighbors.

“It just creates this tattletale environment,” she said.

Fiala asked the council to reconsider the 24-hour time limit for leaving indoor furniture outdoors.

Before the council voted on the ordinances, Councilman John Slivon said he thinks more time is needed for residents to look at and comment on them. He said the fine structure should be reconsidered.

“I’m very opposed to these escalating fines,” he said.

Slivon made a motion to table the changes so residents could have more time to consider them. The motion failed for lack of a second.

Councilman Ted Belej, who is on the council’s ordinance committee, said committee members and city attorney Kevin Mackey discussed them extensively.

“We did put a lot of time into this,” he said.

Belej said possible ordinance violators would not be fined immediately. First, the police department would talk to residents or owners of properties and require the violations be stopped.

The indoor furniture ordinance is especially needed, Belej said, because he knows of a house in the city, which was using a couch to replace missing steps into the house.

Mayor Lisa McKenzie said Hancock is getting in line with other communities, which have fines for ordinance violations rather than making the violations misdemeanors.

McKenzie said there can be an added cost to the city if misdemeanor violations are taken to court.

City Manager Glenn Anderson said fines are set by resolution rather than being codified in the ordinance, so the council can change them without having to go through the process of changing the ordinance.

“It won’t be locked in by ordinance,” he said.

Council voted 6-1 to approve the changes with Slivon voting no.