Council Panel Seeks Fines For Blocked Sidewalks
The Fall River City Council Committee on Health and Environmental Affairs voted to ask Corporation Counsel whether property owners can be fined for long-term fenced sidewalk closures. Minimum Housing Director Phyllis Fiore and Police Chief J.T.
City Council Committee on Health and Environmental Affairs · Meeting of September 24, 2026
FALL RIVER — The Fall River City Council Committee on Health and Environmental Affairs voted to ask Corporation Counsel whether property owners can be fined for long-term fenced sidewalk closures. Minimum Housing Director Phyllis Fiore and Police Chief J.T. Hoare briefed the panel on nuisance-property enforcement, noting owners now get "10 days to fix it or you're subject to fines." City Administrator Anne O'Neill-Sousa said properties flagged under the city's Building Blocks Program have dropped from roughly 250 to under 100.
On a separate item prompted by a 400-signature cleanliness petition, DCM Compliance Officer Joe Kennedy said the city issued almost 1,300 tickets for trash violations between January and June and logged 51 illegal-dumping cases this year with a 49 percent solve rate. Director of City Operations Al Olivera said the DCM incinerator project, scaled back to about $16 million, remains on track for completion by Sept. 30.
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Source: the City Council Committee on Health and Environmental Affairs meeting of September 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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