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When grass gets long, city patience gets short
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - June 04, 2010)
When grass gets long, city patience gets short
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
While it may be good to touch the green, green grass of home, there can be too much of a good thing.
And local communities are prepared when that grass gets too lush.
Ordinances in the City of Chardon and Burton Village address lawns that get unkempt when the growing season arrives.
Patti Rucinski, a zoning inspector for the City of Chardon, said she is dealing with about 20 people this year who are in violation of the ordinance. The ordinance applies to property owners who allow their grass to grow beyond 6 inches in height.
Burton Fiscal Officer Christopher Paquette said the village has a similar ordinance but is not dealing with the same kinds of numbers as Chardon.
Mrs. Rucinski said she estimates that about half of those unkempt lawns are due to the country's recession, and the properties are in foreclosure.
She said she begins looking at who is not cutting their lawns as soon as the rain stops in the spring. Initially, the city offers a warning letter, Mrs. Rucinski said. Violators are given seven days to cut their lawns.
If they fail to do so in a week, then another letter, this time from city Law Director James Gillette, goes out. It offers another warning and another 10 days to get into compliance.
If that fails, Mrs. Rucinski said, the matter goes to court.
In the case of vacant homes, which is occurring more often in recent years, the city will contract with a crew to go out and cut the grass. The cost of cutting is then charged back to the property owner, sometimes through tax liens.
John Sheehan, the city's planning and zoning administrator, said people often do not seem to get the message, even after year after year. He said the city often sees "repeat customers" in dealing with the issue.
City Manager David Lelko said that each time a person neglects his or her lawn it is considered a separate incident. If someone fails to mow in May, then mows but neglects it again in June, there can be two citations, he said.
Mr. Paquette said his village operates under similar procedures and sends warning letters before legal action is taken.
Like Chardon, he said, there have been repeat customers to deal with. He said one property owner simply refused to mow, or pay when the village eventually cut the grass. But he said that problem gradually has disappeared over the years.
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