Public Safety Committee Chair Lonnie Davis reported at last night’s Henderson City Council meeting that his committee had requested that Acting City Manager Mark Warren begin the process of contracting someone to remove graffiti from public and private property in Henderson.
City council member Lynn Harper asked if the council should vote to use money to take the graffiti off of public and private property.
Warren replied that the money is already budgeted. Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert augmented Warren’s response, stating that the money was already authorized because it was budgeted.
Harper expressed the opinion that the money was not budgeted for the removal of graffiti from both public and private property.
City Attorney John Zollicoffer offered a legal opinion, stating that the city was not assuming liability for an ongoing problem because cleaning up graffiti was a one-time thing.
Harper called the project “exciting” because drug money from the Interstate is coming back to help the people of Henderson.
Seifert said that he would like to prevent the problem.
Council member Ranger Wilkerson raised the issue of liability for damage caused by the city or its contractor to private property. Zollicoffer stated that “the man with the pressure washer” should get permission from the property owner.
Seifert expressed the opinion that the city should be held harmless. He also said that if the property owner will not let the city clean up the graffiti, then the owner is responsible.
Council member Elissa Yount cited research that suggests that once graffiti is removed, it tends to stay off.