When you step past shattered glass on a sidewalk, what do you think? When you drive by run-down buildings, how do you feel? When you watch trash pile up, day after day, until it buries a vacant lot near your home, what do you do?
Call the county.
“Illegal and dangerous dump sites will no longer be tolerated in Snohomish County,” said county Executive Aaron Reardon. “We’re cleaning up the county’s front yard.”
It’s a welcome change. Last month, a contract crew cleared trash and broken automobiles off a piece of Monroe-area land and completed Snohomish County’s first-ever property abatement.
A threat to public health and safety, the unattractive site on E. Lake Kayak Road long stood in violation of county code. For nearly a decade, neighbors complained that it lowered the value of their own land. They said it attracted criminal activity. They asked for help again and again.
And the trash pile continued to grow.
Then, in 2005, the County Council approved a $125,000 abatement fund and pilot project. The plan gives code enforcement officers the power, procedure and policies they need to come down hard on offenders.
Reardon rightly says illegal dumping can lead to serious community corrosion.
“Blighted properties draw crime to an area,” he said. “It’s the broken window theory. Code enforcement equals crime prevention.”
The “broken window theory” explains how neighborhood characteristics send meaningful signals. Evidence of decay, like a broken window, often alarms residents. They feel more vulnerable and begin to withdraw.
At the same time, criminals notice residents withdrawing. They become bolder and intensify their activities, which attract law-breakers from outside the area.
According to county officials, supervised property abatement will remain a last resort. Only when voluntary compliance fails will officers pursue a court order. If the non-compliant owner still refuses to cooperate, the county will obtain a warrant and clean up the site. Then officers will drop off a bill. If the owner doesn’t pay, the county can foreclose.
It’s that simple.
Reardon’s push is paying off – $17,000 later, the E. Kayak Road site is clear and neighbors are happy. Snohomish County’s first abatement was a commendable success. Although 100 junkyard sites remain, an encouraging precedent has been set.
Does an illegal dump have you feeling broken-glass blue? Run down? Terribly trashy?
Now you know what to do. Call the county.
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