Ambiguity plagues a proposed Jefferson County ordinance that seeks to regulate public nuisances like junk cars and loud noises, residents told county officials Monday.
Without stricter guidelines on what is and is not allowed, the document could impinge on citizens’ civil rights, said Dan Thompson, who owns land off Center Road.
Thompson was one of nearly 20 people who attended a hearing on the ordinance Monday before county commissioners at the courthouse.
About a dozen citizens spoke up and gave commissioners a laundry list of perceived problems with the document.
A number of the speakers, like Thompson and Quilcene resident Ken Ackerman, work their land to make a living.
Others, like David Hamilton of Port Hadlock and Frank Kelly of South Point, own houses in residential areas.
Kelly was concerned the document might allow county employees could come onto his property without a warrant because of a neighbor’s complaint about anything they perceive as a nuisance.
Too much of the ordinance seems to revolve around aesthetics, complained Bill Cambpell of Port Townsend.
