Ordinance 844 states that motor vehicle nuisance is any motor vehicle which is not currently registered or tagged; parked in violation of the city ordinance; incapable of moving under its own power; or in junked, wrecked or inoperable condition.

The city council approved the concept of sending out letters to those currently in violation of the ordinance.

At this point, three people will be receiving letters notifying them of the violation. The owners have 10 days to respond or fix the problem.

If the owner is found guilty in municipal court, the owner could face a fine of up to $100 and up to 30 days in jail.

Ray Usher, council member, said at the Dec. 27 meeting that he had seen some junk vehicles sitting on property in town that did not have license plates.

This violates the ordinance.

“If we want Tonganoxie to look like a clean town, we have to pursue it,” Usher told fellow council members Monday night.

The police department and city will continue to reinforce this ordinance.

According to the ordinance, “junked, wrecked, dismantled, inoperative or abandoned vehicles affect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the city … Inoperable means a condition of being junked, wrecked, wholly or partially dismantled, discarded, abandoned, or unable to perform the function or purpose for which it was originally constructed.”