“Don’t be afraid to be a snitch.”

That was a message District 1 City Councilman Devyn Keith tried to get across at a recent town meeting in north Huntsville.

Keith told constituents he wanted to hold property owners accountable for failing to keep up their property, which he said could affect the property value of homeowners and stymie development in north Huntsville.

“If there is a house in your neighborhood … you call the citation department,” Keith said. “Don’t you be quiet. Be a nosy neighbor. If that grass ain’t cut, you text your councilman and say this is a problem.”

The councilman voiced an opinion that the city citation list has gone up. But Community Development Department Manager Scott Erwin said the city haven’t seen a huge increase in the numbers overall.