Post by WaTcHeR on Jun 9, 2006 13:55:56 GMT -5
06.09.2006 - Euclid, Ohio - The city has a message for people who cover their windows with blankets, garbage bags or insulation: It's curtains for you.
Shades, miniblinds and other conventional accessories in houses and apartments must work and be hung properly. And substitutes such as duct tape and newspapers just won't do.
City Council passed the law, 8-1, Monday. Violators will receive warnings and could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Councilman John Conway proposed the measure after making the rounds with housing inspectors and hearing from residents.
He said a tacky window pains neighbors and gives outsiders a dim picture.
"There was no intent to turn our inspectors, through this ordinance, into the fashion police," Conway said.
"A lot of it is going to be complaint-driven, and the housing inspectors will have some discretion."
Law Director Chris Frey could not find a similar ordinance to use as a model.
Cleveland Heights, a regulatory trendsetter, has occasionally cited people for unusual window coverings under a general ban on unsightly or offensive decor.
Cleveland State University Law Professor Alan Weinstein said Euclid might have a hard time making the law stick because it contains shades of gray. Weinstein, who specializes in municipal regulations, said violations inside a home typically focus on health or safety, not appearance.
"It would be nice if we could legislate good taste," he said. "But the problem is: Who decides what's good taste?"
Euclid shelved a similar proposal six years ago, when current Mayor Bill Cervenik was a councilman, because officials saw it as too heavy-handed. Cervenik said that he still has concerns but that he recognizes a need to attack glaring offenses.
City officials acknowledge that many people like to sew sheets, particularly children's sheets, into drapes. Sheets altered to look like drapes will be permitted.
Shades, miniblinds and other conventional accessories in houses and apartments must work and be hung properly. And substitutes such as duct tape and newspapers just won't do.
City Council passed the law, 8-1, Monday. Violators will receive warnings and could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Councilman John Conway proposed the measure after making the rounds with housing inspectors and hearing from residents.
He said a tacky window pains neighbors and gives outsiders a dim picture.
"There was no intent to turn our inspectors, through this ordinance, into the fashion police," Conway said.
"A lot of it is going to be complaint-driven, and the housing inspectors will have some discretion."
Law Director Chris Frey could not find a similar ordinance to use as a model.
Cleveland Heights, a regulatory trendsetter, has occasionally cited people for unusual window coverings under a general ban on unsightly or offensive decor.
Cleveland State University Law Professor Alan Weinstein said Euclid might have a hard time making the law stick because it contains shades of gray. Weinstein, who specializes in municipal regulations, said violations inside a home typically focus on health or safety, not appearance.
"It would be nice if we could legislate good taste," he said. "But the problem is: Who decides what's good taste?"
Euclid shelved a similar proposal six years ago, when current Mayor Bill Cervenik was a councilman, because officials saw it as too heavy-handed. Cervenik said that he still has concerns but that he recognizes a need to attack glaring offenses.
City officials acknowledge that many people like to sew sheets, particularly children's sheets, into drapes. Sheets altered to look like drapes will be permitted.