Resident urges stricter enforcement after alleged home auto-repair; council amends vehicle-storage ordinance for public input

A Mount Vernon resident told City Council on May 4 that vehicles have been brought to a neighboring house repeatedly at night and worked on there, and he urged the council to strengthen enforcement tools.

“Good evening, mayor and city council members. My name is Greg Quick and I’ve resided at 13 Dogwood Terrace for approximately 26 years. I am here this evening because it appears a car repair business is being operated at the residence of 12 Dogwood Terrace. This has been going on for approximately 11 months now,” Quick said, describing Ring-camera footage he said shows vehicles brought to that address and repaired into the early morning hours.

Quick told council he had filed three confirmed complaints and two anonymous ones with the city and that code enforcement officers Brian Marvin and Scott Zimmerman had visited the site multiple times. He asked council to strengthen Ordinance chapter 1309 to close perceived loopholes, add progressive fines, empower code enforcement staff with appropriate enforcement tools, and adopt an enforceable noise ordinance with specific hours and progressive fines.

Later in the meeting, council considered Ordinance 2026-11, which amends local provisions regarding vehicle storage. A council member moved to remove the ordinance’s emergency clause to give the public an opportunity for input; the amendment passed and the ordinance received its second reading. Council minutes and committee discussion indicate the vehicle-storage ordinance will be available for public comment in its amended form before any final adoption.

The meeting record shows council members praised code-enforcement staff for their work; no immediate change to Chapter 1309 was enacted at the meeting, and the council did not adopt a new noise ordinance that night. The transcript documents residents’ concerns, the staff response (site visits by code officers), and the council’s procedural change to allow further public input on the vehicle-storage ordinance.