The Fresno County Board of Supervisors, 2022 file photo

Fines for illegal dumping in Fresno County may be increased following a vote Tuesday at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The board voted unanimously to amend the Fresno County illegal dumping ordinance to sharply increase fines within the unincorporated areas that are causing blight and threatening the health, safety and welfare of many communities, according to the supervisors.

Along with the vote to combat illegal dumping, they also passed a proposal regarding the impound of nuisance vehicles.

This was the first hearing to amend the code, waive reading of the entire ordinance and set the second hearing for June 4.

It also designates the county counsel to prepare for a fair and adequate summary of the proposed ordinance and direct the clerk to post and publish the required summary.

The amendment will make a violation of illegal dumping a misdemeanor and allow the county to levy a greater administrative penalty and establishes new categories of illegal dumping for serious violations and increases the penalty up to $3,000 for each violation.

“The goal of this ordinance is to impose the financial responsibility of illegal dumping on those that engage in the illegal act,” said Senior Deputy County Counsel Kyle Roberson.

District 5 Supervisor Nathan Magsig said that over the course of the last few years, the board has invested millions of dollars for clean up, and last year alone the allocation was approximately $1 million.

Magsig said he believes that illegal dumping has increased since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The goal today is to try and put more teeth and our ordinances here so that individuals who might be thinking about dumping might think twice and also provide resources to residents to show them that we do have the ability to take a lot of this debris to our landfills and recycle oil and other items,” Magsig said.

Large items — refrigerators, washing machines, mattresses and couches — will each come with separate $3,000 violation fines.

District 2 Supervisor Steve Brandau said that some of the districts in more rural areas battle more extreme cases of illegal dumping.

Under the recommended ordinance, the county will have three levels of violations.

Infractions are defined as a “one off” incident such as a magazine or paper cup being dumped, Roberson said. Anything above that, such as a garbage bag full of trash, would be considered illegal dumping and carry a $1,000 fine.

A significant quantity of trash dumped, which is defined in the proposed ordinance as 3 cubic yards of trash, would qualify as a major violation and come with a $3,000 violation.

It would also establish a mechanism to link the origin of an illegal waste pile if identifying information or mail is found to find not only the dumper but to find an individual who allows someone to engage in illegal dumping on their behalf.

The ordinance proposal regarding nuisance vehicles will enable county enforcement agencies to seize vehicles used for illegal dumping and other offensives, with prostitution being the main offense.

If an individual has recent convictions for major violations, the county sheriff would be authorized to seize the vehicle for up to 30 days.

Both proposed ordinances were unanimously passed.