As of July 1, the most recent statistics available from the city, tall grass violations accounted for more than half of all violations, numbering 2,423 out of a total 4,285. And with the amount of July through November violations yet to be determined, the city could likely be heading to more tall grass violations this year than at least the previous five years.
With the excessive rain and rapid grass growth rate comes grass having to be mowed more frequently by contractors, which translates into extra costs, Fuchs said.
“It has been keeping staff very busy trying to resolve all of the violations,” Fuchs said. “Due to the increase in mowing costs this year, it is also possible we will need to increase our mowing budget before year end. How much at this point is to be determined.”
In Hamilton, the city received 1,774 tall grass complaints as of Aug. 6, exceeding year-to-date totals for 2014, which numbered 1,467
Tall grass violations are given 48 hours to become compliant in Hamilton, where public nuisance complaints are received a number of ways including the city’s 311 citizen complaint system, telephone calls, other city staff — especially fire and police as they patrol — and also are initiated by Hamilton’s Public Health Sanitarian, according to Brandon Saurber, Hamilton’s assistant city manager.
“When they go out to a complaint they look at nearby properties and write up ones in violation,” Saurber said. “We have also canvassed around Main and High Street as an initiative to clean up our downtown core.”
In Middletown, the city doesn’t declare the property a public nuisance. It enforces a code violations as it would on items ranging from broken windows that need to be boarded, peeling pain, hanging gutters, trash and more.
For example, grass taller than six inches is a violation and needs to be mowed. A violation notice is placed at the residence and mailed to the tax mailing address listed on the Butler County auditor website.
“The resident has seven days from the date of the letter to get the yard mowed,” Fuchs said. “If the resident ignores the notice or outright refuses, we send a contractor out to mow the property. Those costs are then assessed to the property taxes at 2.5 times the actual cost.”
Some properties are listed multiple times due to multiple violations and/or re-inspections.
In Middletown, “when possible, staff is proactive in looking for property violations,” Fuchs said. “However, most of them are found on a complaint basis. As far as the amount of time a resident has to address a violation, it all depends on what the violation is.
“In cases where a resident refuses to address the violation, we cite them into court. Typically, the court will impose a fine and require work to be completed in ‘x’ days,” he said. “If the work still isn’t completed after the date the judge ordered, we take them back to court for contempt.”
In West Chester Twp., where nuisance cases numbered about 33.5 each year on average for the past five years and 35 for all of 2014, the amount of nuisance cases is already up to 45 this year, with one additional pending as of Aug. 11.
Property owners are issued a violation notice giving them seven days to abate a nuisance.
“If they don’t abate the nuisance, the property has to be declared a nuisance by the trustees,” said Barb Wilson, spokeswoman for West Chester Twp. “Once the trustees declare a property a nuisance, we have to post a legal notice on the property giving them an additional seven days.”
If the violation has not been abated once the seven-day period is up, the township’s contractor will go out and abate the nuisance.
“Depending on when the complaint is received and the timing of the next trustee meeting, timing of abatement by our contractor varies,” Wilson said.
George Thomas, who has lived in West Chester Twp. for 29 years, said his Stonewood Court neighbors, in addition to several house-related issues, also fail to adequately maintain their yard on a consistent basis.
“They cut their grass when necessary every two or three weeks,” he said. “It’s grown as high as over two feet in many cases. In the back yard, I think it’s over four feet.”
Thomas and his wife wrote a letter to the property owners, had it signed by numerous neighbors and asked trustees to encourage the homeowners to take better care of the property.
“I’m really concerned that our property values are going to be negatively impacted if we ever have to sell the house,” Thomas said.
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