MARYSVILLE – Mayor Jon Nehring says he gets more complaints about garbage than anything else.

“Complaints are ongoing on a regular basis,” he said at Monday’s work session.

People get tired of seeing trash in their neighbors’ yards.

But like the old proverb says, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

It will be a slippery slope but one the council decided they want to look further into.

City Attorney Jon Walker said in a current case a city judge gave a resident a timeframe to get things cleaned up. It was a long, drawn-out process, but the citizen finally did what was asked of him.

The idea is to give the city another tool to possibly speed up the process.

“It could be so egregious you don’t want to wait,” Walker said.

Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima said 95 percent of people comply with code enforcement regulations right away.

“They don’t want to be a bother to their neighbors,” she said.

Planning director Dave Koenig that people now are given warnings, than a ticket and then can be threatened with jail time on criminal charges. One option could be the city going in to clean up and they charging the homeowner.

Councilman Dave Siebert asked, “How far do we want to carry this? It’s private property.”

Councilman Michael Stevens added, “There’s a lot of gray area.”

Koenig agreed. He said in one case one neighbor complained about trash, but when it was investigated the items were used to make pottery.

The law now requires front yards to be clean, but not back or side yards. Items screened from public view also are allowed. Officials said a simple change in the law could add language that garbage also not be able to be seen from adjacent property.

Staff will do more research and come back to the council in the future.

In other issues that night:

•Council again looked at its Rules and Procedures. They again seemed to favor a censure process.

“Not to use as a political weapon, but to send a message to the public” if the council feels one of its members stepped over the line in some way, council president Kamille Norton said. “It’s about our credibility – is someone compromised the integrity of the council.”

Siebert added, “As a group we’re saying we don’t think your actions were appropriate.”

•The council also will be updating its marijuana ordinance. A gap will occur in the law in July when the state combines recreational and medical marijuana laws.

•The council will look at funding Phase 1 of the Ebey Waterfront Park Project. It would start the trail at the Highway 529 bridge and go east to the Qwuloolt Estuary. On the other side it will start at Harborview Park and go south and west to the estuary breach. The work will include signage and outdoor classrooms.

•The council also will consider seven locations to sell fireworks in the city for the Fourth of July. Marysville Kiwanis would have stands at Albertsons and Allen Creek Shopping Center. Pregnancy Aid of Snohomish County would be at Walmart. And Mountain View Assembly of God would be at Fred Meyer’s. Also Costco would have one at its store, Marysville Church of the Nazarene would have one at its church and BLC Youth Ministries would have one at 9315 State Ave.

•It also will consider closing part of 3rd Street for the Rodz on 3rd Car Show July 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In other news:

•There will be an open house June 28 at Mother Nature’s Window Park, 7521 55th Drive.

•Cedarcrest Golf Course was ranked No. 1 in May out of all of the 13 Premier Golf Center courses in the Pacific Northwest.

•Traffic circles are not roundabouts, Public Works Director Kevin Nielsen said. They are calming devices built in areas that have speeding issues, instead of speed bumps.

•Nielsen said for people to call the city as sidewalks are popping in the hot weather, causing trip hazards.