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Unsightly properties monitored In regard to the question Kay Y. asked earlier this year about unsightly properties in Eagle Point, what about those areas in Jackson County that aren't incorporated into a city? Does the county Sheriff's Department have similar ordinances? -- Stacie A., Medford The county does have several so-called nuisance ordinances, similar to Eagle Point and other cities, that regulate unsightly or unsanitary properties, Stacie. Regulatory control falls to the Planning Department, not sheriff's deputies. The county can issue fines of up to $500 for violations, but with only two code officers, the process is usually handled informally. Building official Dale Bohannan estimated that roughly 95 percent of property owners work with code officers voluntarily. When they don't, code officers start a formal citation process that includes a timetable for compliance and fines. "Most of the time, frankly, much of that fine is suspended if the person performs whatever needs to be done," Bohannan said. "We're not out to get into peoples' pocketbooks. We just want compliance." The issues are health hazards and eyesores caused by large accumulations of garbage and abandoned vehicles. It looks bad, attracts vermin and can even affect the water table. Nevertheless, differences in "acceptable lifestyles" exist from place to place, Bohannan said. Rules that make sense in urban areas don't always work in rural places. With an active caseload that hovers around 300 at any given time, code officers generally don't initiate investigations on their own unless violations are obvious or particularly hazardous, Bohannan said. Most investigations begin with a phone call or a letter from a neighbor, he added. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA