MITCHELL – During the November Mitchell City Council meeting, the Mitchell City Volunteer Fire Department requested to have the authority to issue citations for open burn violations within the city.
City Attorney Byron Steele assisted in writing the request into the ordinance as an amendment to the current policy. The ordinance reads:
“The open burning provisions are enforceable by the duly appointed Building Commissioner, the Fire Chief and the Assistant Fire Chief of the Mitchell Fire Department, or the City Police acting on his/her own initiative or at the request of the Mayor.”
Open burning includes trash, tires, or anything other than the use of wood in a fire pit.
All residents are subject to Indiana Open burning regulations by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
This authorization will provide relief to the Police Department in situations when an officer is unavailable and cannot issue a citation or warning following burn violations. The Department will first give warnings to individuals who violated the burn policy, which can be turned into a citation if they cause a violation again.
