Dear Editor:
It would be nice to see the City Council develop reasonable fines for ordinance violations relating to property violations. Year after year, I (and other neighbors) have to call the city to complain about abutting property owners who fail or refuse to cut their grass, trim their weeds and clean up their mess.
Year after year, the city places a notice in their yards warning them to clean up. They wait until the last day, do the minimum to avoid a "penalty," and then wait for the next warning sign to get stuck in their yards.
Penalty? None ... even for subsequent violations. Why is this right? It's not.
My yard is far from perfect but I keep it reasonably maintained. I spend a small fortune on weed and bug control. I have to repeatedly call about having the city spray for mosquitoes (they only spray when you complain.) What good does it do if property owners don't keep their yards cleaned up?
I'm tired of having to spray myself repeatedly with bug spray just to be able to cut my grass or enjoy my deck! My grandkids can't play in the backyard because the mosquitoes are so bad (I spray my bushes, and the abutting property bushes too) in an attempt to be able to enjoy my own property.
Most of my neighbors are fantastic. We help each other keep the yards maintained but there's always one or two who ruin it for everyone else.
My suggestion? First warning, no fine (unless the city has to clean up the mess) ... a/k/a free pass. Second warning? $100 fine, Third warning? $500 fine. Subsequent violations? Double or triple.
I spoke with my city councilman about this issue a couple summers ago and am not sure what happened about proposing changes to the ordinance. I, and the rest of my neighbors, would be thrilled to see some teeth put in these types of violations.
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