A proposed amendment to the Augusta County code adding the word “clutter” to the local law regarding nuisances has the attention of some folks who wonder if it’s something that could be used arbitrarily to get at neighbors.
The amendment, which will be up for public discussion at the March 25 Augusta County Board of Supervisors meeting, would add the word “clutter” to the list of items that can be removed from a property “due to potential endangerment of the health or safety of other residents of the County,” per the proposed language.
The definition of “clutter,” according to the proposed amendment, comes straight from §15.2-901 of the Code of Virginia.
Going there, the state code section defines “clutter” as “mechanical equipment, household furniture, containers, and similar items that may be detrimental to the well-being of a community when they are left in public view for an extended period or are allowed to accumulate.”
One reader from the farming community emailed to offer that this rather broad definition could be used arbitrarily against farmers and artists by neighbors looking for an excuse to raise issue.
This is why we have public hearings; this one is on the agenda for a public hearing at the March 25 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.
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Chris Graham
