Craig Daily Press

Craig city officials said it's time for some spring cleaning.

In an ongoing attempt to beautify Craig, city officials met Wednesday night to discuss proposed changes to health and safety codes and enforcement.

No official action was taken during the meeting.

Changes under consideration include taking code violations out of the criminal courts and using an administrator to decide cases. Also, officials considered stricter provisions regarding the placement of signs advertising yard sales and political candidates.

Mayor Don Jones said the changes would help improve the city and raise the aesthetic quality, which in turn would allow the city to attract more businesses.

"We need to keep up on these ordinances," Jones said. "Once we get it all done and in place, it'll be great. I really think this will be of great benefit to everybody."

Few residents attended the work session. Of those who did, some were less enthusiastic about the proposed changes.

Norm and Brian Culverwell objected to changes that would label vehicles without up-to-date registration and insurance as junk.

"I can fully understand keeping the city of Craig beautiful," Brian Culverwell said. "But if somebody comes along and says my personal property is junk, I have a problem with that."

"That's the way they do it in Russia or China," Norm Culverwell said. "That's not how it's supposed to be in Craig, Colorado."

City attorney Kenny Wohl said taking code violations out of criminal court and placing the cases into the hands of an administrative officer would help quicken the process and "decriminalize" violators.

He said the process is similar to that used in Fort Collins and Denver.

City officials said they routinely receive complaints regarding abandoned or junk vehicles.

Regarding vehicles, the only substantive change under consideration would mandate that vehicles have both up-to-date registration and insurance. The new provision still resembles the ordinance originally put in place in the early 1990s, code enforcement officer Becky Otis said.

The city's definition of junk vehicles is also similar to descriptions used by other municipalities, Wohl said.

City officials told the Culverwells that they will research what constitutes a junk car and an antique car.

Another complaint commonly received from residents stems from placement of signs for sales, such as those on utility poles.

Jones said signs that are posted and never removed are one of the "biggest complaints" he hears about.

"It's a problem," he said.

To combat the nuisance, the city is considering a change that would increase fines for failing to remove signs from $10 to as much as $300.

The proposed ordinance changes will be on the agenda for the next Craig City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. March 28. A vote on the changes will not take place until the end of April.