HOWELL — Deputy Mayor Angela W. Dalton wasted no time giving her take on proposed amendments to a property maintenance ordinance at a recent council meeting.“ I am not in favor of this,” she said. “I will not vote to change it. I don’t think it’s worth discussing.”

Dalton, Mayor Robert F. Walsh and other Township Council members decided at the July 13 meeting to hold off on the ordinance crafted by Township Attorney McKenna Kingdon until further research is done.

“As far as I’m concerned, this ordinance sticks our noses into people’s business and we have no business doing that,” Councilwoman Pauline Smith said. “Forget this nonsense and start from there.”

“I think your intentions were good,” Walsh told Kingdon. “You got four no [potential votes] and a maybe.”

In addition to placing limits on the number of commercial vehicles allowed to be parked on a residential property, the ordinance would have also required homes to be “maintained in good repair.”

“Peeling, flaking and chipped paint shall be eliminated and surfaces repainted,” the ordinance states. “All exte- rior walls shall be free from holes, breaks, loose or rotting materials and maintained weather proofed and properly surface coated where required to prevent further deterioration.”

The purpose of the home maintenance sections are to maintain public health, safety and welfare, according to the ordinance, but several council members were concerned about imposing more restrictions on cash-strapped residents in a poor economy.

“I just feel we over-regulate people who are already overtaxed,” Dalton said. “For the most part, people police their own neighborhoods.”

Kingdon asked if council members would consider removing sections of the ordinance dealing with maintenance of the exterior portions of homes.

“This is too prohibitive,” Smith said. “It’s what I call way too much government. We don’t need to hire a bunch of people to harass them. I’m not Big Brother. Everyone has a right to make a living and live the lifestyle he chooses. Health, safety and welfare are our concerns and this is the end of it. Research what’s in the statutes. If it’s not covered and it’s a problem, make a list and we’ll discuss it.”

In a related matter, the council took no action on a complaint made by resident Fred Weimmer, of Shenandoah Drive.

Weimmer bought pictures to the meeting of a nearby residence where he claimed a neighbor is operating a landscaping business out of his home and parking a landscaping truck in the driveway.

“My rights are being violated as a taxpayer,” Weimmer told the council.

Township Manager Helene Schlegel said code enforcement officers had visited the site and found no current violations.

Council members looked at Weimmer’s latest pictures of the property and indicated they did not think anything rose to the level of a violation.

“Dr. Weimmer, we are all not doctors,” Walsh said. “There are a lot of people who use the vehicles they drive for their livelihoods. People do different things for a living. We’ve all looked at the pictures. I feel for you, but there is nothing we can do.”

Schlegel said Weimmer had another option, to take the matter to municipal court.

The proposed property maintenance ordinance would allow one commercial vehicle to be stored on a residential property as long as the vehicle is used by a resident to get to and from work.

No tractor-trailers, tractors, car carriers, tow trucks, flatbed tow trucks, buses, school buses or commercial trailers may be stores on any residential property, the ordinance states.

Dalton said Howell already has regulations that prohibit operating a commercial business out of a residential home.