North Adams committee rewrites litter code language, centralizes enforcement in Inspection Services
June 17, 2026 | North Adams, Berkshire County , Massachusetts
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The North Adams City Council Codification Review Committee on Thursday approved a package of wording and enforcement changes to Chapter 15 of the municipal code that the committee said will simplify enforcement and align internal titles.
President Shade called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. and the committee moved through a series of edits to the litter chapter. Staff proposed, and the committee approved, replacing references to specific officer titles (for example, 'health inspector') with an organizational reference to the Inspection Services division so enforcement language is consistent across the chapter.
Committee members also voted to remove a cross-reference to Section 15-3 in Appendix D8 so that the noncriminal-fines entry applies to violations of the entire Chapter 15, rather than being limited to the single subsection. The committee approved adding the phrase 'this chapter shall not apply to' at the start of subsections A, B and C of section 15A-5 to form complete sentences, and moved to delete the word 'suggested' from the title of section 15A-7 so the heading reads simply 'Penalties.'
On enforcement geography, members approved revising the illegal-dumping provision to read 'within city limits' in place of the longer phrasing that distinguished between public or private ways and city-owned property. Staff explained that the change is intended to make enforcement more straightforward for inspectors and simplify code language.
The motions on Chapter 15 were taken and passed by the three members present at roll call (Councilor Blackmer, Councilor Brain and Councilor Shade). The committee recorded the votes as three in favor for the motions described above.
Committee chair President Shade said staff would reconcile the precise organizational label (Inspection Services division versus department or simply 'Inspection Services') against prior minutes and reflect the previously agreed phrasing in the ordinance text.
The committee finished review of Sections 15A, 15B and 15C and moved on to other chapters on the agenda. The changes approved are editorial and organizational in nature; they do not create new substantive prohibitions beyond the existing litter and dumping rules, the committee said.
President Shade called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. and the committee moved through a series of edits to the litter chapter. Staff proposed, and the committee approved, replacing references to specific officer titles (for example, 'health inspector') with an organizational reference to the Inspection Services division so enforcement language is consistent across the chapter.
Committee members also voted to remove a cross-reference to Section 15-3 in Appendix D8 so that the noncriminal-fines entry applies to violations of the entire Chapter 15, rather than being limited to the single subsection. The committee approved adding the phrase 'this chapter shall not apply to' at the start of subsections A, B and C of section 15A-5 to form complete sentences, and moved to delete the word 'suggested' from the title of section 15A-7 so the heading reads simply 'Penalties.'
On enforcement geography, members approved revising the illegal-dumping provision to read 'within city limits' in place of the longer phrasing that distinguished between public or private ways and city-owned property. Staff explained that the change is intended to make enforcement more straightforward for inspectors and simplify code language.
The motions on Chapter 15 were taken and passed by the three members present at roll call (Councilor Blackmer, Councilor Brain and Councilor Shade). The committee recorded the votes as three in favor for the motions described above.
Committee chair President Shade said staff would reconcile the precise organizational label (Inspection Services division versus department or simply 'Inspection Services') against prior minutes and reflect the previously agreed phrasing in the ordinance text.
The committee finished review of Sections 15A, 15B and 15C and moved on to other chapters on the agenda. The changes approved are editorial and organizational in nature; they do not create new substantive prohibitions beyond the existing litter and dumping rules, the committee said.
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