Jackson court tackles problem properties

"We took him to court, and the judge fined him $50, plus $170 in court costs," said Martin, a code enforcement officer for the city of Jackson.

"The guy was laughing at us when he heard that. It didn't register with him that the charges were per vehicle. When he walked over to the clerk to pay, it was a mind-blowing experience."

The car guy's mind was blown by more than $3,000 in fines assessed in Environmental Court - a specialty tribunal that has been a fixture in Jackson since 1992.

The argument for environmental courts is getting a hearing in other Mississippi cities as well.

Edward Martin remembers the case well: The guy refused to remove 15 or 20 cars parked on his lawn, a violation of a city ordinance.

Advocates say problems such as trashy lawns, tumbledown houses, junk-car yards, unscreened Dumpsters, abandoned buildings, illegal dumps and even dogs on the loose are more likely to be resolved wherever these courts are in session.

That's because violators are more likely to face the threat of fines and, occasionally, jail time for their offenses, supporters say.

Usually, those threats get their attention.

"By the time they get to our court, they usually have multiple offenses," said Jackson Municipal Judge Bob Waller, who has conducted Environmental Court hearings.

"Sometimes their excuses for not taking care of the problem is they didn't have the money or they just didn't want to do it. It's mostly parking cars in
the yard, junk cars in the driveway, cars with flats.

"We do have a lot of abandoned property in Jackson, too. Crackheads use them," Waller said.

In Jackson, Environmental Court fines vary according to a judge's discretion, but a person caught illegally dumping debris, for instance, could be fined up to $1,000 and receive up to six months in jail.

Jackson's court administrator could not provide an estimate for the amount of fines collected monthly.

No one has been fined yet in Gulfport's Environmental Court; it cranked up just last week.

"Until now, our Municipal Court was responsible for abandoned cars, unsafe properties and other quality-of-life issues," said Ryan LaFontaine, city spokesman. The growth of those problems has become more profound, especially since Hurricane Katrina.

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