Commissioners eye revamped ordinance; seek to add officer
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

The Lampasas County Commissioners Court may rewrite the county junkyard ordinance to limit the number of unregistered vehicles residents may keep on their property.

Commissioners took no official action on the ordinance during Tuesday's workshop session, but they discussed adding a prohibition on keeping more than one unregistered vehicle on a piece of property. If the Commissioners Court limits unregistered vehicles, residents who expect to exceed the limit would have to apply for a junkyard license, which Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Vincent said comes with a $25 annual fee.

If amended, the ordinance could include exemptions for authorized car lots and for residents who can prove they are restoring old cars, Vincent said. He and County Judge Wayne Boultinghouse favored a prohibition on keeping more than two unregistered vehicles, but Precinct 2 Commissioner Alex Wittenburg said he preferred the county allow only one such vehicle on any piece of property.

"In my opinion, one is enough," Wittenburg said.

Vincent initially suggested a three-vehicle limit, saying farmers and ranchers often keep multiple old trucks, tractors and other unregistered equipment on their land.

Bill Rials, an Adamsville resident, told commissioners a three-vehicle limit is not stringent enough, particularly in subdivisions and on small lots.

The court considered issuing warnings to residents who exceed the limit without a junkyard permit and giving property owners 30 days to register vehicles and make them operable. Residents could face fines of as much as $500 per day if they do not make vehicles road-ready by the 30-day deadline.

"Most people, if threatened, will clean their act up," Vincent said, indicating his support for a 30-day warning period.

Commissioners, meeting with County Attorney Larry Allison and Sheriff Gordon Morris, also discussed adding a sheriff's deputy to handle code enforcement. The officer would enforce any restrictions added to the junkyard ordinance, along with codes that regulate numerous activities, from placement of mailboxes to the construction of driveways.

Commissioners said in order to enforce compliance with county ordinances, a code officer needs to be able to carry a badge and a gun when on duty.

"If we want to get serious about this, we need somebody who is a deputy sheriff or a licensed peace officer," said Wittenburg.

Boultinghouse said the court could consider adding a code enforcement officer to the county budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year.