Sturgis Board to decide on property standards enforcement

The Sturgis Township Planning Commission is recommending township trustees adopt specific procedures for enforcement of property maintenance standards that hold owners responsible, while giving latitude to compliance timelines.
The issue has been before township officials for several months as they wrestled with concerns about how future code officers will enforce the standards. Several planning commissioners said they did not want standards to be so strictly enforced that common-sense compliance is not allowed.
According to Mike Bobalik, township clerk and planning commission member, the guidelines will act as a checklist for the ordinance-enforcement officer to follow as code infractions are identified.
The measure will advance to the Sturgis Township Board for a final adoption decision in March.