Bill Blackwell, who runs Rivertown Tire, requested a review of the policy in light of a tall grass issue in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed most of his house at 600 Washington Avenue in 2012.

Requesting extensions for several other issues he is currently dealing with the town over, Blackwell noted a letter about tall grass at the Washington Avenue site he received. “I was notified of this violation in July and corrected the problem by cutting the grass within the appropriate window of time.”

He received a second letter in September. “This letter not only served notice of a requirement to cut the grass, it also included a municipal fine of $100.”

Blackwell said when he met with Code Enforcement Officer Richard Brown and Mayor Julia Meacham, he was told, “That this was now town policy and there were over 100 similar letters that had been written. They also told me that failure to pay the fine could result in the debt being placed in the hands of an outside collection agency instead of being placed as a lien on a tax bill.”

The town's policy to enforce code through punitive fines, he said, “Alarms me greatly. We all want a safe and attractive community, but enforcing behavior through threat of punishment seems draconian and excessive when we all know we live in a community of limited resources. Our hopes and dreams of a better Weldon have to be balanced against the reality that this community has over 39 percent of its population living below the poverty level.”

That includes, he said, more than 40 percent of the children, adding that 68 percent of poor families in Weldon are headed by a single female with no husband in the house. “A quick look around town will show that the town's business community also has its challenges. If we tally the total business space available for sale, rent or lease in the vacant buildings in Weldon, we will certainly exceed several hundred-thousand square-feet.”

Blackwell said he believes the economic recession and cuts in government spending and business investment are leading the fining policy. “While legal under North Carolina state law, it seems inappropriate under the unspoken code of conduct that governs a community of neighbors. When a town fines the poor for code violations it might be forcing a citizen to make a choice between buying clothes for children; buying books for school; or simply contributing to the town's already large coffers. When a business is fined it assumes the risk of having its credit damaged when disputed charges are forwarded to collection agencies. This also applies to the private citizen.”

This practice, Blackwell said, could lead the town to incur risk. “It is forced into the box of uniform and fair administration of code without exception for wealth, friendship, relationships or business necessity. To implement any enforcement practice without a totally objective criteria for selection exposes the town to both risk and ridicule.”

One elderly woman told Blackwell she felt like a criminal because she was fined. “Municipal bureaucracy has a natural tendency to expand its reach and this is a point in time where I think the town has gone too far. One-hundred letters to citizens and taxpayers is cause for concern about both enforcement policies and collection procedures in this town.”

Brown responded, saying, “I wish I had never written any letters. It's a shame I have to write letters.”

Meacham defended the policy and Brown. “Not everyone agrees with what we do. I respect his judgement.”

Town Manager David Overton said the collection policy was in place to help recoup some $80,000 owed the town. “We have to be accountable to the citizens.”

Said Meacham: “Weldon is a business. We do care about our citizens, but we are not their caretakers.”