The tough stance against public nuisances adopted by Seven Fields Borough Council on Monday should be watched by other communities with such problems. If the new law is effective in the small southwestern Butler County municipality, a similar one might work in other, larger municipalities.

In Seven Fields, based on Monday’s action, there will be immediate financial consequences for those who don’t comply with the nuisance law.

At the meeting, the council focused on complaints such as failure to clean snow and ice from sidewalks, failure to keep grass cut and failure to pick up dog droppings, but the problems extend beyond those things.

The attractiveness of a neighborhood should not be harmed by a few households lacking pride and respect for neighbors and neighbors’ properties, and who show disregard for theirs and others’ property values.

When municipalities ignore nuisances, they, in effect, extend an invitation for more.

Seven Fields’ new stance demonstrates a commitment by officials to ensure that the borough remains a desirable place to live.

Besides, residents who pay high real estate taxes — as Seven Fields residents do when borough, county and school district taxes are combined — deserve protection from unwanted nuisances that make their neighborhood less attractive and possibly lower the value of their home.

Even people without high tax bills deserve such protection as they try to keep their properties a community asset, rather than a liability.

Not only will Seven Fields’ nuisance ordinance violators receive a warning letter telling them they must resolve the violations that prompted the letter within 10 days, the letter will be accompanied by a $25 fine that also must be paid within 10 days.

Failure to comply — both regarding the violation and the fine — will result in a citation from a district judge and possibly a court hearing if the citation is challenged.

“It appears we are seeing more and more of the same repeat complaints and violations,” said borough manager Tom Smith. “It is impacting the community in a negative way, so we’re becoming a bit more aggressive in an effort to correct those behaviors.”

According to language in the new ordinance, the town’s nuisance law has been “routinely violated” in a way that negatively affects the “health, welfare and safety” of borough residents.

The question now is how many will remain defiant when facing an immediate financial penalty.

Communities often announce a crackdown on public nuisances such as litter, junk vehicles or dilapidated buildings. But they wouldn’t need a crackdown if they enforced existing ordinances or adopted nuisance laws that adequately serve their needs.

Seven Fields has taken that step. Borough officials shouldn’t succumb to the complaints that they almost certainly will receive from the people who have not kept their properties — and their community in general — clean and properly maintained.