By TEREASA NIMS
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW – Either cut your grass or have the city cut it for you for $220.
The complaints have started. People are complaining to the city that others aren’t keeping up with their yards.
“Hasn’t it only been a month since we could even see grass under the snow?” Frank Thompson asked. “I’ve only had my yard mowed once.”
To date the city has cut grass at 131 yards, Building and Planning administrator Mary Britt said. An estimated 30 percent more notices were sent out, but Britt said people had their yards taken care of before the grass cutting company arrived.
The city strictly observes the ordinance of eight inches for developed properties and 10 inches for vacant properties beginning April 1 and ending Nov. 15, to prevent weeds and grass from becoming a detriment to public health and welfare.
“Neighbors call and complain,” Britt said of how they learn about problems.
Residents call the city complaining about grass and weeds, the city inspector verifies the overgrowth, and a notice is sent saying that failure to comply makes the party liable for the cost of having it cut. Then the city sends a company to rectify the issue.
Some residents ask Britt how much it costs and when she tells them, sometimes they respond with, “OK. Let them do it.”
Britt jokes, “You know you could have gotten a neighbor kid for less.”
Teenagers send Britt their contact information to pass around to residents delinquent in mowing and shoveling.
“The whole idea behind this is to take care of your property,” Britt said, adding that the city doesn’t want to have to come out.
She said there is an ordinance for snow removal also. Britt said businesses usually keep up their parking lots, but forget their sidewalks. If the city has to do snow removal on sidewalks, the business gets the bill.
(Tereasa Nims can be reached at [email protected].)