The appearance of Selma’s historic Victorian and Antebellum homes is as important to the cities future as economic development. Actually, the two go hand-in-hand as the majority of Selma’s tourism dollars are based on its beauty.

Thankfully, the city is enforcing an ordinance that will help the beauty stay alive in the yards of Selma residents. If one drove around Selma, they would find beautiful homes, churches and old abandoned cars on blocks in the front yards of too many homes.

Rather than having lilies flourishing out of flowerbeds, weeds surround tires of old abandoned cars. The City of Selma now has a city ordinance forbidding abandoned vehicles left on private or public property.

To enforce this ordinance, the city places a bright orange notice on what they consider to be an abandoned vehicle with a clear message that if it is not removed in 72 hours, it will be towed. The ordinance clearly defines an abandoned vehicle as an inoperable vehicle in such a state of “disrepair, disassembly or damage” that renders it unable to be self-propelled.

The 72 hours is more than enough warning to the owners of abandoned vehicles that they have to move them out of public view by storing in a garage or carport. The owners have up to 90 days to claim their car and pay the towing expenses. After 90 days, the wrecker service can do whatever they want with the vehicle.

The city is following in the footsteps many other communities have placed. However, the enforcement of the ordinance will be more difficult than what is expected. It is the community’s responsibility to help aid the efforts of the Clean Team and the City of Selma.

Citizens working together with Law Enforcement, Code Enforcement and others involved to clean Selma up will move Selma forward. Our city has too much rich history and beauty for us to allow people to make it ugly by keeping their trash on the lawns that our friends and tourists must pass by day after day.

Let’s get rid of Selma’s trash and start focusing on its treasures.