NORTH BEND — Tagging, street art, graffiti or whatever you call it — the writing may be on the wall for vandals in the city of North Bend.

City councilor Howard Graham has been asking city staff what can be done to stop graffiti in the city.

His hope? To strike the unwanted markings from local buildings and to stiffen penalties for those who commit the crimes.

“It diminishes property values and it doesn’t say much for (our) town. I think there really needs to be a strong message sent that this isn’t the place to do it,” Graham said, in a City Council work session this week.

The councilor has seen graffiti on the former Pizza Hut building on the corner of Newmark Avenue and Broadway Street for nearly a year, he said, and doesn’t like it.

“We don’t seem to be making any progress there,” Graham said, noting that an ordinance could be a solution. “It’s evidently something we don’t have and we’ll discuss if we have the need for one.”

Currently, North Bend does not have an ordinance that asks property owners to clean up tagging on their buildings. However, North Bend Police Chief Steve Scibelli said, when caught, vandals are charged according to state law and told to pay restitution.

In one felony criminal mischief case in which two people spray-painted street signs and buildings in North Bend and Coos Bay, a judge sentenced the vandals to 30 days in jail, two years of probation and required them to pay $7,048 in restitution each.

Johanna Dillard, the president of the North Bend Downtown Association, said her group has a subcommittee that deals with beautification and graffiti issues. The association also uses a phone tree to communicate with merchants if a problem arises. She added that North Bend police are good about communicating with merchants regarding vandalism issues. The association has not discussed a graffiti ordinance at this point.

Dillard, who owns Coastal Paper & Supply said she knows when vandals have targeted a business or agency because people come in to her shop to buy a chemical to remove the tagging.

“(It) goes in streaks,” she said, adding it isn’t a horrible problem in North Bend.

City Administrator Jan Willis said she will be looking at model ordinances provided by the League of Oregon Cities, regarding graffiti abatement. In the meantime, she said she would contact the owners of tagged buildings.

In addition to an ordinance that could require property owners to clean up their buildings in a certain amount of time, staff also suggested starting a volunteer group to help owners clear their walls. Willis wasn’t fond of the idea because it could be difficult to regulate and to get matching paint.

“I think we owe it to the property owners to notify them they have graffiti on their building ... and ascertain what they might be willing to do about it,” Willis said. “I can’t imagine anyone would object to having graffiti removed from buildings.”