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Posted on 05/20/2008 8:51:48 AM PDT by traviskicks
CANTON For residents tired of that overgrown lot that resembles a minijungle next door, the city wants to help by trying to put high-grass violators behind bars.
City Council wants to beef up its existing high-grass and weeds law by making a second offense a fourth-degree misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of up to $250 and up to 30 days in jail.
In the spring and summer, it's not uncommon for council members to field complaints from residents about overgrown lots owned by individuals or banks and corporations that ignore the law and notices in the mail.
More than 8 inches constitutes high grass or weeds, according to city law. First-time violators now face a minor misdemeanor, which carries up to a $150 fine and no jail time.
The proposed amendment passed second reading Monday night, and is up for passage at next Monday's council meeting.
Strengthening the law would give judges and police "a way to get their attention," Law Director Joseph Martuccio said of lawbreakers. More pressure also could be applied to lot owners and those responsible through letters, conferences and prosecutor's hearings, he said.
Service Director Thomas Bernabei initiated a review of the existing law. The city is responsible for mowing about 2,400 lots, he estimated at a committee meeting Monday night. Mowing the properties costs the city money, labor and time.
With the growing number of house foreclosures, high grass may be more problematic these days, Bernabei said. How long it takes the city to cut high grass depends on available workers and the number of complaints and lots, Bernabei said.
EQUAL ENFORCEMENT
If council would like a quicker response, it could allocate more money for labor and equipment, he said.
The city spends $225,000 to $250,000 a year on cutting overgrown lots, estimated Councilman Greg Hawk, D-1, who advocated taking a "hard line" on the issue.
Councilwoman Mary Cirelli, D-at large, said she supports the proposed legislation, but wants equal enforcement among residents and banks and corporations that own the unsightly properties.
Martuccio acknowledged it's more difficult to pursue a corporation or bank criminally. However, he said "theoretically" it can be done by following a paper trail to an individual responsible for that corporation.
Pursuing the most egregious high-grass violators "with vigor" could draw media attention, Bernabei said, and serve as a deterrent. Other potential punishments are community service hours spent cutting grass and seeking a court order garnishing someone's wages or issuing liens, he said.
MYERS AND MEADOWS HONORED
Also Monday night, City Council honored Capt. James Myers of the Police Department with an informal resolution. Myers spent about 40 years with the department, initiating various programs, including the polygraph and canine units. Police Chief Dean McKimm also honored Myers with a plaque for his service, and commended Capt. Bruce Allison, who retired recently.
Last week, council honored Melvyn Meadows, who is retiring as the superintendent of the sanitation department. Meadows started his career with the department in 1983.
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I guess Canton has no illegal immigrant rapists or murderers, Mooselimbs run amok, or garden-variety dope dealers to jail; so they prosecute people that don’t want to cut the grass to fill their jail.
Just d@mn!
For the MI ping list.....
It’s been raining for three weeks. We haven’t been able to mow our grass. ONE of us is going down for this!
I’LL take the rap, baby. You need to be there for the kids.
Lawn mowing contributes to Global Warming.
Not just the fuel burned by the mower, but the decomposition process of the mown grass releases Carbon in various forms into the environment.
Let’s see the PC bastardos counter THAT!
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Beyond excessive. Even for the tenth complaint, jail time would be beyond excessive.
And yet we're closing prisons, fcol!
the criminalization of our society continues little by little........
A “Crime” is defined as whatever the politicians decide to prosecute. It doesn’t have to be something that actually INJURES anyone.
get a couple of sheep
I think tall grass should be jailed, too. Never did trust it.
Zoning ordinances against livestock on parcels less than 5 acres, you know...
Looks like this is Canton, Ohio not Canton, Michigan.
Oops, my bad. I apologize for the confusion.
Can’t be!
The neighbors are cows and the landlord is a real pig!
In all seriousness...
I’m thinking about a back yard garden and planting mere ground cover in the front yard. The lawn chores and expense is annoying me. And with the watering restricitons, who can keep a lawn nice?
We had a pastor form Liberia visit our church a few years back. He said the thing that most astounded him was our lawns. It was difficult for him to understand how we could spend so much energy and money on a plant we couldn’t even eat. Seemed like a waste. His people, wiht the same resources would all have gardens in the yard.
Just a random thought to share.
Do the words “private property” have any residual legal meaning these days?
Around here, we call them “Lawn Nazis”............
Yes. The residual meaning is that as the owner of the “private property”, you have the “right” to pay property taxes on it.
That’s about it, though.
In this situation, the tall grass does injure people. Tall grass is a breeding ground for vermin and other pests that can cause health problems for neighbors or, potentially, property damage.
Just Damn!!
Led away in shackles for not mowin’ the lawn...
The fore fathers are doin the twist!
The BTK killer was a compliance officer in Park City, KS. Here's one account of how he allegedly used local ordinances to harrass a local woman and drive her out of town: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/1524417.html
wow, that is a great find, talk about bureaucrats gone wild!
Hold the city too the same standards..........they can’t afford too comply !!!
In Texas you go to jail just for being possession of grass even when it is less than an ounce. They don’t wait until it is two feet tall to arrest you. /sarcasm
Sure sounds stoopit enough to be Michigan, easy mistake to make!
We struggle to keep grass in our backyard for the kids to play on. It's densely shaded, we have an enormous dog, and we have grubs that stand up to dang near anything. Huge pain. If it weren't for the kids, I'd get rid of it all in a heartbeat.
No. Just asking the question is a misdemeanor.
These citizens should be jailed for electing a bunch of jackasses.
Good point.
But jail time sounds excessive. Better to mow and add the cost to the property tax bill.
The city charges $50 a pop for a typical postage stamp (50 x 100) in my neighborhood, and they have gone over $100 for the larger props. I really should offer my mowing services to the realtors representing all the vacant props around here. Even with the price of gas being high, I could easily make a couple hundred bucks a month for a very small investment of time.
Your city charges very reasonable rates. Mulch in place?
Thanks illustrating the threat posed by tall grass in city lots.
What the city charges is insane when you consider that the local kids will do it for $5 a yard, regardless of size.
I'd tend to agree, at least on first offenses. As far as adding the amount goes, I also think $50 is pretty reasonable, given the energy the city would have to invest in monitoring and then sending crews to cut grass.
But Grellis raises an interesting point; perhaps there is room for the government to privatize this particular operation.
The best post on this yet.
And it was written what, about 50 years ago?
Maybe when these guys were on TV! Where I live, I can't find any willing to leave their gaming (WIii, Nintendo,PSP, et al) long enough...
Yes.
Our government/society is becoming a “morphing” of Atlas Shrugged and Orwell’s 1983, with bits of Anthony Burgess’ Clockwork Orange and The Wanting Seed thrown in for bad measure.
...or maybe 1984?
...or maybe 1984...
So, “1984” was the sequel? ;-)
Actually, the Ministry of Truth just issued an edict: Every event in that entire story happened one year earlier than was originally reported by the crime-thinking enemy of the state, Orwell. Original manuscripts of “1984” are being burned even as I write this. By sundown no one will even remember that the book existed.
On the other hand, it’s probably just a testament to my fumble-fingered typing skills.
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