KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — A car wash manager on East Rancier Avenue says he has been dealing with illegal dumping on his property for years — and that it has gotten worse lately. When he turned to the city for help, he says the response fell short.
Robert Shoemaker has managed the car wash for more than 20 years. For the last four, he has kept a journal and surveillance footage documenting illegal dumping on his property — recording TVs, dressers, gasoline and more being left on site.
"Tires, batteries, household garbage, not name it. Dead deer one time in my dumpster," Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker said he reached out to city code enforcement, which helped with one instance but then directed him to the Killeen Police Department. He has filed charges with KPD several times.
"I'm just upset because nothing is happening and it's not KPD's job, it's code enforcement. And code enforcement won't help me, so I have to go to KPD and they're overloaded," Shoemaker said.
He said a supervisor with code enforcement told him directly that the city would no longer assist him.
"I had the head person of code enforcement come up and tell me, I'm not going to help them no more. You just got too much. We're not gonna do nothing for you anymore," Shoemaker said.
25 News asked the City of Killeen which agency has jurisdiction in these cases. The city said both police and code enforcement can play a role.
"Illegal dumping can involve both police and code enforcement. Killeen's ordinances prohibit the act of depositing or dumping litter or junk, while code enforcement addresses violations involving the accumulation of trash and the condition of the property. Suspected illegal dumping should be reported to the Killeen Police Department, particularly when there is evidence that may help identify the person responsible," the city said.
The city also said property owners bear responsibility for keeping their properties clear of trash and debris, and recommended installing a fence with proper permits and video surveillance to deter dumping. When asked whether there is a limit to how many times code enforcement can cite someone for illegal dumping, the city said there is not.
The city said if a business reports an illegal dump, code enforcement will do a one-time courtesy pickup and explain that future cases will be handled as a Care of Premises violation under Killeen Code of Ordinances Section 18-27. The city added that residents and businesses experiencing illegal dumping are encouraged to reach out by calling KPD at 254-501-8830.
The city said code compliance staff visited the car wash and staff found an illegal dump consisting of furniture and wood paneling and assigned a contractor to remove the materials.
Shoemaker said he knows he is not the only business dealing with the problem, and he wants people to understand the toll illegal dumping takes — and for the city to do more.
"The city is here to help the business people. The business owners are the ones that help the city," Shoemaker said.
He said the wait for help has sometimes stretched to three hours, and he believes education is part of the solution.
"I've been up to 3 hours waiting at times. I can understand KPD is busy because they got the city of Killeen. It is just getting bad. The only way to, I call it, fix stupid is education," Shoemaker said.
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