Port Arthur to tighten restrictions on dumping tires
Published 4:27 pm Thursday, May 10, 2018
By Ken Stickney
The city of Port Arthur will impose a fine of $100 for dumping tires, with each tire illegally discarded representing a separate offense.
The City Council this week voted unanimously to amend an ordinance regulating the disposal of tires within the city.
The vote followed a presentation by Darlene Thomas-Pierre, director of inspections and code compliance, who said city crews over three weeks have picked up 1,496 tires illegally dumped.
“Dumping is illegal. You cannot dump tires on roads, in alleys, on streets or on thoroughfares,” she said during a short presentation during the City Council’s meeting Tuesday.
Thomas-Pierre said city crews would cover the entire city to recover dumped tires.
“It is hard work,” City Manager Harvey Robinson told council members. “You have to get to the root of the problem.”
That came later in the council meeting, when council members reviewed, amended and approved an ordinance that establishes regulations for tire disposal and registration of tire haulers within the city.
The ordinance will be published, according to the council vote.
Council members balked at an initial penalty of $50 per tire, with some members suggesting it was too low to discourage illegal dumping. The council later amended the penalty, doubling it to $100.
The City Council had addressed tire disposal at an August 2012 meeting in which a presentation was made about abandoned tires as areas where mosquitoes were likely to breed.
Council members were told that provisions were already in place for residents to discard up to four tires through pickup.
Mayor Derrick Freeman suggested some out-of-town tire haulers might be dumping tires in Port Arthur and suggested vigilance in catching violators. The council discussed the use of cameras to catch violators.
