City: Ordinance targets illegal dumping violators

Douglas Clark
Amarillo Globe-News

With the second and final reading of the ordinance designed to address illegal dumping via civil penalties having been passed, city officials are underscoring Ordinance 7911 seeks to address violators and not victims. 

"The purpose of this ordinance is to facilitate and enable the city to cite the people that are doing the dumping, not the person with the dumping that happens to be behind their house, because we have no way to demonstrate that that person did it," City Manager Jared Miller said. "Our ordinances already would provide us the ability, if we so chose, to cite those people. But we know they didn't do the illegal dumping - in almost every case. That's why we've installed, in a number of our alleys, cameras that can pick up that activity taking place. We will be able to move those to different locations." 

Jared Miller

The Agenda Item Summary notes the ordinance specifically amends Chapter 8-3 of the Amarillo Municipal Code to provide for a civil penalty and process to address instances of unlawful dumping within the city limits, specifically providing for a civil nuisance presumption of responsibility against the owner of a motor vehicle used for illegal dumping when the actual operator cannot be determined. Additionally, it creates a civil penalty for such conduct while retaining the current criminal penalty for cases in which the identity of the actual culprit can be determined.

Officials previously indicated illegal dumping solutions would include: 

- Adding additional portable cameras to the system monitored by a professional security company, noting equipment is motion sensitive, weather resistant and possesses night vision capability.

- Cameras are capable of identifying license plates within 200 feet while a detailed reporting system and information capabilities allow the city to identify perpetrators and take legal action. 

- The ability to impose civil penalties 

- The ability to use photographic and video surveillance footage to issue notice of violations

- The ability to hold the owner of a motor vehicle liable for illegal dumping

Officials said the Illegal Dumping Task Force is made up of executive level leadership in the city of Amarillo, including the city manager's office, Public

Works management, Solid Waste, a Code Enforcement management team, Building Safety, the police department, legal department and communications.