DOVER, Del.- Discarded vehicles scattered across Dover are emerging as a catalyst for change, prompting one councilmember to advocate for a revamp of the city ordinance.
Councilman Brian Lewis asserts that these neglected cars, plagued by a litany of issues rendering them unfit for the road, should not be allowed to mar the cityscape.
"No body is coming around and towing them," Lewis lamented. "The city staff is not addressing the issue in a timely fashion."
Residents of Stony Creek echo Lewis's concerns, citing a recurring pattern of vehicular abandonment in their neighborhood.
"This is not the first vehicle at all and it is not going to be the last; it is an ongoing issue," remarked Christine Holmes.
Lewis contends that the proliferation of abandoned cars in Dover has burgeoned into a safety hazard, affecting not only his district but the entire city.
Holmes fears that the presence of these eyesores is depreciating property values in the area.
"If someone comes out to look at our house to buy it, they are going to see all of this behind our neighborhood and say, 'I want nothing to do with this,'" she said.
Responsibility for addressing abandoned vehicles in Dover falls on the shoulders of the police department for public property and code enforcement for private property. However, Dover's Chief Code Enforcer, Eddie Kopp, reveals that individuals exploit this division by relocating cars between public and private areas to evade towing.
Lewis is adamant about closing this loophole to expedite the removal of abandoned vehicles.
"I intend to put it on the agenda for an amendment to the ordinance. Right now, we need to change the ordinance to get them towed in a timely fashion," Lewis asserted.
One proposed solution involves consolidating tagging and towing responsibilities under a single agency.
Kopp disclosed that on March 20, the code enforcement team plans to dedicate an entire day to addressing the issue of abandoned vehicles.
