A vocal group of residents who recently received citation fines for illegally putting up carports got their wish Monday for the Ceres City Council to look into the possible relaxing of city code so they may keep their structures.

The council spent nearly a half hour on Monday evening mulling whether it should explore their options which ultimately could allow all residents permission to erect carports which city law currently forbids. Councilman Daniel Martinez pushed for an item to be placed on a future agenda to review the current ordinance “and see how we can amend it to be more modern and help support the citizens that it’s affecting at the current time.”

After one resident asked for a delay in paying his citation fine Mayor Javier Lopez said the city attorney will look into it. Ray Martinez did say he would be willing to pay the fine “as long as they don’t keep growing on me while we’re waiting.” City Attorney Nubia Goldstein said she will look to see if the procedure of citations can be placed on hold.

Goldstein said the city will publish a public hearing notice when the matter makes it to the agenda.

Thomas Morton told the council that he put up a temporary carport and was cited and removed it. But he also advocated for a change to permit carports through the building permit fee process “so they do look good and they’re not an eyesore. All over town there’s some of them made out of wood with tarps over them and they are eyesores, I agree with that.” Morton noted that he can’t park inside his garage because it’s serving as a workshop.

Derek Cowell suggested that city ordinances stemmed from the “progressive movement” born out of the public health and safety problems in New York. “For whatever extent we need to compromise for any of those things – for sanitation, health, safety – we’re more than willing to comply but beyond that just anything that doesn’t make sense, that’s a little bit arbitrary, we ask you to reconsider.”

Not all are happy about the idea of the city contemplating allowing carports. Linda Chambers called them unsightly and “do detract from the neighborhood, they are a hazard. They are a problem.”

Chambers requested that the council give “deep consideration to the fact that ordinances are put in place … to protect the citizens. And when you have people who obviously use their garages for things other than parking their vehicles … they can consider using the garage for that purpose rather than detracting from an entire neighborhood and community.”

She said it’s unfortunate that some who installed carports have to pay the price “but it was done illegally and it’s not to code” and asked the council to not change the ordinance.

Resident John Warren agreed that the ordinance needs to be left in place. He said when he thought about installing a covering for an RV he called city hall and was told he couldn’t .

“Unfortunately some of these folks are going to have to remove their structure and I feel sorry for them but they should have came and asked before they did it,” said Warren.

Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra said she understands both sides but admitted seeing some “very unsightly” carports which bring down the neighborhood. She expressed concerns about suspending citations for fear that others will erect carports in the meantime. The attorney, however, said carports that go up are subject to fines.

Martinez hinted at forming a council subcommittee to make recommendations like the time rules were changed that allowed food vendors in Ceres.

Councilman James Casey opposed revisiting an ordinance revamp “until you know how bad it is and then … is that something you want to change?”