Posted on 05/26/2007 9:35:52 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck
Got a "nicegram" from my township with a picture of a planting of the wild grape bushes that have been on the corner of my yard for 9 years with nobody complaining, threatening to have my yard cleared of "weeds" while the swat team is there and then billing me beaucoup dollars for it. The letter tells me to see the ordinances on some web site, but after clicking on all 40 some links I found nothing there about weeds (though in scanning the ordinances it looks to me like one neighbor has an illegal sump pump water discharge to a street front ditch). These wild grapes have a clear border kept around them, and any intrusions past this border are mowed with the grass. They are not harming any other vegetation, nor are they spreading onto any neighbor's property. And yes, there is no HOA. I think another neighbor who has for over a year vainly tried to sell a McMansion (the biggest of the neighborhood) that he built on the site of a house smaller than mine is the instigator, and I think this person lied to the occifer that they had "offered to help" (which NO neighbor has). I have found by Google that in some states plantings of wild grapes are banned, but apparently not in Illinois.
Question to property rights freepers: Should I try to fight City Hall (how? under all the multifarious lawyer listings in my phone book I can't find "municipalities"), or should I just cut down the grape bushes?
If you are harvesting anything off of them, they're not WEEDS!
I say fight. Chances are inspectors probably havent visited your house. In Phoenix here a busy body neighbor tried to have a vehicle of mine towed because I hadnt driven it in months, although it was perfectly legal. I did nothing but wait clean the vehicle and waited for the actual inspector to come by. Nothing elese has come of it.
Just tell the town that these are an endangered wild grape species. If the town wants to risk the 100,000 dollars fine to destroy these endangered plants then go right ahead. They probably will never bother you again.
The very FIRST thing you should do is talk to the actual named human being who signed the letter your township sent you, explain that you can’t find any ordinance that applies specifically to your grape bushes, and if they are sure you are breaking the law would they please tell you exactly which law.
The chances are greater than 50% that they know they have no case and will back down. If they point you to a real ordinance and it is obviously inapplicable, call a lawyer and fight them. If they point you to a real ordinance and it is obviously applicable, cut down the bushes. If they point you to a real ordinance and it is not obvious whether it is applicable or not, call a lawyer and find out.
Bingo!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
We Have A Winner!
Just let the royal nobles at town hall know that you are planning on hiring illegals to pick the fruits now that they will soon be issued Z-visa’s and that you will contact your Senators Obama and Durbin to support your cause.
I’ve dealt with zoning ordinances for years. The best advice is, if you’re serious about fighting, get a good lawyer.
These ordinances were written by the city’s attorney to favor the city, not the property owner. You will waste your time fighting this without a lawyer.
Skip the lawyers. Drop in on the city attorney (or township attorney) for a chat. Keep it civil. Just explain what you just said, and ask for a specific cite to the alleged violation. If it’s as vague as “weeds,” then explain what you are really growing. What is next, hedges? Ivy?
See what you can accomplish this way. If that doesn’t work, I suppose you can go to the municipal court and ask for an injunction or an advance ruling of some sort. But for that you just might want a lawyer. Interview a few and pick the one with the most reasonable flat fee who seems to have a clue.
Hope you win this one.
Is it worth what it would cost you to fight them? If so, then WALLOW in it!!! But please keep us posted as to what happens... maybe we’ll need to set up a legal defense fund for you.
You'll never hear another peep from city hall, except maybe apologies.
Doesn’t your citation have a phone number so you can discuss this issue with somebody? I’d try that first.
o g-wd, you’d just give in to the suburbanazis. what will they do when they come for you?
Wild grapes sequester CO2. :)
If they are wild, hell you got a leg up; use the envirovictim ruse. I’m just trying to save the wild grape here in ——— in the face of Global Warming by sustaining this colony. If there are few vines near you, you might have a case. Talk to your neighbors.
what will YOU do when they come for you?
Good thinking. Those wild grapes are offsetting carbon dioxide emissions.
;-)
Start demonstrating WHY we have the Second Amendment... You?
don’t ya know guns are banned here? what second amendment?
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