WATERVILLE — City councilors on Tuesday moved a step closer to authorizing the code enforcement officer to cite immediately property owners who violate rules regarding weeds, rubbish and garbage.

They voted 6-0 to approve a change in the city’s property maintenance ordinance that would give violators no right to appeal their citations.

Councilor Eliza Mathias, D-Ward 6, was absent form the meeting. The council must take two more votes before the change could take effect.

Property owners whose weeds or plant growth is taller than 10 inches would be fined $100 for each day they do not rectify the situation after being cited, according to the proposed change.

Weeds are defined by the ordinance as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees or shrubs, but do not include cultivated flowers and gardens.

Other violations that would result in $100 daily fines are related to accumulation of rubbish or garbage, inside and outside buildings.

Councilor Rosemary Winslow, D-Ward 3, said property maintenance issues arose in her neighborhood more than a month ago and Code Enforcement Officer Garth Collins’ hands were tied because of gap in the ordinance.

“This will give him the authority he’s been lacking the last few years,” Winslow said.

Ken Green, of Lincoln Street, asked about enforcement of the ordinance once councilors approve the change.

He said the ordinance has another loophole that precludes the code enforcement officer from being able to enforce city rules.

Building permits, Green said, do not have time limits. As long as someone has a building permit, there is no requirement for him to complete a building.

“So you can have a tar-paper shack, in effect, forever in Waterville,” Green said. “There’s no way to stop it.”

City Manager Michael Roy said Green’s concerns raise two questions that should be answered: How long should a building permit be open and what should a building under construction look like in the meantime?

A building in Green’s neighborhood has moisture-barrier paper on it, and the city’s ordinance has no language that would allow Collins to go to the owner and say he needs to finish it, Roy said.

Councilor Karen Rancourt-Thomas, D-Ward 7, said there is a house on Gold Street with the same problem. People have called Collins about it, but he can not do anything, because the ordinance does not allow him the authority, she said.

Rancourt-Thomas said the house is constantly under construction.

“People have complained about it for many years,” she said.

Roy said he thinks there should be a time limit on building permits — that there’s a hole in the city’s ordinance that should be plugged.

Unfortunately, Green’s neighbor’s project would be grandfathered, but instituting an ordinance change would help in future situations, Roy said.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com