The Monroe City Council is enacting this article to help prevent the spread of graffiti vandalism and to establish a program for the removal of graffiti from public and private property. The Council is authorized to enact this article pursuant to its police powers, in order to promote health, safety and welfare of its citizens, under the Charter of the City of Monroe and G.S. § 160A-174. The Council finds that graffiti is a public nuisance and dangerous to the public safety and welfare. Graffiti is destructive of the rights and values of property owners as well as the entire community. Unless the City acts to remove graffiti from public and private property, the graffiti tends to remain. Other properties then become the target of graffiti, and entire neighborhoods are affected and become less desirable places in which to be, all to the detriment of the City and its citizens. The City Council intends, through the adoption of this ordinance, to provide additional enforcement tools to protect public and private property from acts of graffiti vandalism and defacement. The Council does not intend for this ordinance to conflict with any existing anti-graffiti federal or state laws and to the extent of any such conflict, the provisions of the federal or state law shall control.
(Ord. O-2008-22, passed 5-20-08)