The lawn in front of Nick Lyon's College Hill home is littered with red plastic keg cups and beer bottles.
But the 21-year-old Washington State University student makes sure that the trash - evidence of a few raging parties at his residence - stops at the property line.
"I don't understand what's wrong with the litter," he said, surveying the lawn. "It's not in the neighbor's yard."
Lyon may not have neighbors who care about the view out their windows, but a nuisance ordinance passed by the Pullman City Council in May is geared toward cleaning up Pullman.
The purpose of the nuisance code is to protect the public health, safety and welfare of Pullman residents and to prevent conditions that degrade the character of neighborhoods and property values.
The new material includes more specific nuisance definitions and pinpoints who can be held accountable for violations.
Many of the outlined nuisances also carry over into health and sanitation, fire and public safety codes and include accumulating litter viewable from a public place, dead animals, unlawful dumping, graffiti, and junk vehicles. Conditions that lessen the city's scenic attractiveness, livability and economic welfare also are subject to citations.
The definition of a "nuisance party" - a social gathering or party that results in activities including littering, damage and destruction of property and the illegal sale, furnishing, dispensing or consumption of alcohol - is also outlined in the new ordinance. A cease-and-disperse section also has been added to the code, so that if a gathering becomes a nuisance party, police have the authority to shut it down.
Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said officers on duty the morning after typical party nights, such as Friday and Saturday, are trained to look for ordinance violations like litter. The student population - on their way out of town for summer break when the code was passed in the spring - likely will receive morning visits if a violation is spotted by police. Tennant said litter has been the No. 1 nuisance complaint, followed closely by graffiti.
Officers are "not afraid to knock on doors and say, 'Hey, you are responsible for the litter, the broken glass and the party cups,' " he said.
The number of nuisance calls responded to by police in the last several months is not yet available, Tennant said, as officers were given a new classification code for nuisance violations and it may "take a while for our statistics to be meaningful."
For the most part, Tennant said, violators have been College Hill-residing WSU students who are extremely cooperative. When it comes to litter, people have removed the nuisance quickly, leaving no reason to issue a citation.
Tennant said officers will lay off writing citations for awhile - unless someone is uncooperative - and will focus on counseling students on their responsibilities as Pullman residents.
"Right now, we're trying to educate students" about the code, he said. "There's been compliance, so there's no need to cite if there is compliance."
Tennant said Pullman officers have encountered several parties that fit the definition of a nuisance, though his officers have yet to issue any of the $150 first-offense fines. A second offense warrants a $500 ticket.
On the first offense, Tennant said partygoers are counseled to decrease their volume.
"There's no line in the sand in the nuisance ordinance. At this point, I'm leaving it up to the officer's discretion. I don't want to penalize people that are being cooperative. The code is nice to have a tool, but if I can get cooperation under the old tool (without issuing citations), it's easier on the officers."
Only one person has been given a ticket in the last several months. Tennant said the offender refused to clean up litter at his D Street residence, allegedly telling the officer, "Hey, this is Pullman."
Tennant said though the city may have a reputation for being a party town, it doesn't have to look like one.
"It's a quality of life issue. You don't want trash in the streets," he said.
Gabe Mahlum, 21, said he wasn't aware of the nuisance ordinance - much less the revised ordinance.
The WSU student said he knows there are some residents who live on the hill full time, but when it comes to complaining about nuisances, "it comes with the territory."
Mahlum did say that if litter really is out of control, it should be brought to the tenants' attention.
"If it's excessive, and it shows (the tenants) don't care - then it's good. They should get a warning," he said. "I'm definitely going to clean up after myself."
Lyon and his roommates will clean up the mess if asked to do so by police because he's "too poor" to afford a ticket, but he said he'd rather be approached by a neighbor.
"I'd rather it be a real problem rather than Pullman cops being Pullman cops, finding something to ticket someone for," he said.
While the nuisance ordinance updates were being drafted in the spring, City Councilwoman Ann Heath expressed an interest in receiving monthly updates from the police to ensure the updated code is being enforced.
Heath said she understands the code still is fresh and said she doesn't have a problem warning first-time offenders, but only one chance should be given to violators.
"If a (police officer or code enforcer) doesn't go back to make sure (the violators) have cleaned it up, it's not effective. People will figure that out really fast," she said. "From the feedback I've been getting from College Hill - from people who live up there or work up there - I think we're going to need more specific information about what's going on up there. I also think there needs to be more enforcement."
Heath said she hopes eventually to revisit the issue and make appropriate changes to the ordinance, if needed.
Tennant said his officers return to problem homes to ensure those warned have cleaned up the nuisance.
He said the ordinance appears to be working, though it's "still too early to tell" whether tweaking will be needed in the long term.
"I think it's helpful now," he said. "Just because we haven't given a lot of tickets doesn't mean we're not enforcing it. Everyone generally complies, and that's good."
In early October, a "Set the Trend" campaign will be launched by WSU's Alcohol and Drug Counseling, Assessment, and Prevention Services, University Recreation and the WSU Center for Civic Engagement, said ADCAPS Coordinator Patricia Maarhuis. The week-long event educate students on their social actions and community impact, and will provide material on the city nuisance ordinance.
Hillary Hamm can be reached at (509) 334-6397 ext. 307, or by e-mail at hhamm@dnews.com.
