The City of Union is putting a stop to a recent influx of loud vehicles cruising city streets.
In a Board of Aldermen meeting June 2, town officials ordered Union Police Department discussed the problem and instructed Union Police Department to begin issuing citations for loud vehicles.
Alderman Rex Germany said the problem is both the loud noise, which disturbs residents, and the speed the vehicles travel.
“There’s a lot of it around now, these pipes, mufflers we’re gonna call it. It’s getting to where it’s getting obnoxious,” he said.
Mayor Wayne Welch said Alderman Germany was one of many voices he’s heard recently complaining about “loud pipes.”
“Probably in the last two weeks I’ve gotten more complaints on the loud pipes than I have since I’ve been mayor,” he said. “I think we need to address it some way. It’s getting ridiculous.”
The board directed Union Police Chief Billy Pat Walker to have his officers begin ticketing vehicles with loud pipes for improper equipment.
The Board of Aldermen also discussed several unmaintained properties around Union that needed to be cleaned up. Under the city’s ordinance, the board can send a letter to property owners demanding they clean their property. The board can also declare a property a public nuisance and have city crews clean it up if the owner does not.
Alderman Billy McCune said he had two properties in his ward that needed to be cleaned. He asked the board to send the property owners letters calling them to a public hearing at the board’s July meeting.
Alderman Germany said he too had a property needing cleaned. The owner, he said, lives in Alabama, and property maintenance has been an ongoing issue.
Mayor Welch said trash-filled lawns and uncut grass is an issue that impacts the whole community. When properties look unkempt, that can leave visitors and prospective new residents with a bad impression of the city.
“We’re getting more and more of it every day. It’s not in one area; it’s in all five wards,” he said. “North, south, east and west, it’s not just in one place. It’s everywhere, and when people come in and look, and they see all this trash not picked up, yards not cut, it’s a bad impression.”
Alderman Germany said Union is dealing with issues that are similar to many other areas, but none of it was insurmountable.
“Our community is good people,” he said. “We’ve got so much going for us, if we can just get it polished up a bit.”
