Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Members feel $100 hourly charge is needed
Hartley property owners who fail to maintain the length of grass and weeds in their yards may soon face a bigger bill.
The city council on Monday agreed to investigate increasing the fee for property owners who fail to follow Ordinance No. 366. Currently, the city charges property owners $100 if they fail "to cut, mow, and maintain all grass, weeds, and brush or fail to cut and control noxious weeds."
City Administrator Roxann Swanson said the fee doesn't make some local property owners bat an eye when they get the bill.
"It's easier for them to use the city as a lawn mower service and they don't view the fee as punitive," she said.
Swanson was instructed to draft a revised ordinance increasing the mowing fee to a minimum of $100 for the first hour with an additional $100 charged for every extra hour. The council will address the increase at its October meeting.
In other business, the council discussed the former Create-A-Craft building located on South Central Avenue. The building, which was deemed dangerous several years ago, is slated for demolition once all interior asbestos is abated.
Superintendent of Public Works Curtis Conaway said some area communities have kept the fronts of removed buildings to avoid holes in downtown commercial districts. Conaway will investigate the cost of keeping and reinforcing the front of the building as well as check with demolition contractor Schmillen Construction to see if it's even possible.
