Photo by Christopher Dacanay Wearing his shirt identifying him as Mingo Junction’s new code enforcement officer, John Murphy stands in front of the Mingo Junction City Building

MINGO JUNCTION — A new code enforcement officer has stepped up to hold property owners accountable and restore pride in the village.

From his new position, village resident John Murphy will travel the streets of Mingo Junction looking for property maintenance violations based on Ohio Revised Code and local ordinances. Citations will be issued for high grass and weeds, inoperable or unlicensed cars, trash and rubbish and home identification, if a residence is missing a posted address.

Murphy volunteered in late May to fulfill the village’s code enforcement officer role free of charge in the absence of a full-time officer, said Mayor Judy Ruckman, adding that residents can expect to see Murphy wearing a code enforcement badge and shirt and sporting a sticker on his vehicle to signify his official capacity.

Upon spotting a violation, Murphy will issue a written warning detailing the exact statute being violated on the exact parcel, as well as necessary corrective measures and the timeline on which they are to be completed.

Violators are always “accountable for the timeline they’re given,” Murphy said, but there are circumstances that would affect how long the timeline is.

Murphy said he recognizes that many village residents are elderly and may be limited in their lawn maintenance ability. Furthermore, many individuals have other life circumstances, health or financial, that make their situations complicated.

Thus, Murphy said he strives to take a diplomatic approach to each situation, speaking with residents about their circumstances and passing the information along to the village to determine a good course of action and appropriate corrective timeline.

“We’re not out to hurt anybody or make their living situation worse. We’re not out here trying to make anybody miserable,” he said. “We just want people to understand you can’t keep your yard like this.”

In his first week on the job, Murphy issued about 40 violation warnings, and from now on, he will issue at least 10 per week.

Murphy will follow up with violators at the end of their timeline to ensure corrective measures were taken. If they weren’t, Ruckman said, the citation is forwarded to Jefferson County court. Convicted violators will face a minor misdemeanor and a fine between $150 and $1,000, plus court costs. Ruckman said fines may start small but increase for repeat offenders.

Ruckman agreed with Murphy’s diplomatic approach, saying, “I’m trying to stop (violations) in-house first. … I’m trying to be considerate and not drag them to court. I’m just trying to make them aware … step it up and have pride in our community.”

The hope is to crack down on violations and keep residents accountable, Ruckman said, adding that once residents begin to take better care of their properties, the village hopes to scale back its citations.

Historically, the property maintenance inspector role has fallen under the Mingo Junction Fire Department, which had multiple fire inspectors, said Fire Chief Brandon Montgomery. Fire inspectors would handle nuisance property maintenance violations, as well as building fire code building inspections.

The last full-time fire inspector left the department late last year, leaving Montgomery as the only employee state-certified to perform fire inspections. With the department’s call volume, handling maintenance nuisances was too much for the department to handle, Montgomery said.

Murphy recalled overhearing a conversation in the Mingo Junction City Building regarding the need for a code enforcement officer to tackle the many village properties in need of cleaning. Knowing he had time available, Murphy decided to volunteer for the position, not asking for any payment in return.

Murphy himself was born and raised in Mingo but spent time in Georgia and Florida before eventually settling back in the village in his childhood home, where he’s been for the last 23 years. He noted the changes the municipality has undergone, specifically the loss of community pride and an increase in neglect for lawns and rubbish.

His goal is to serve as the code enforcement officer for as long as the village will have him, Murphy said, noting that he’s already received much positive feedback from the community. He said he hopes the increased accountability efforts will be an incentive for residents to take more care in the future.

“The village of Mingo Junction is my home, my land, along with everybody else who lives in the village,” he said, “and I’m going to do my part to help clean up my land, my village.”