Photo by marykbaird via morgueFile.com
Twin Lakes village staff will be working on an ordinance to tackle properties with high grass and weeds.
“Unfortunately, we have a few property owners who simply do not attend to their properties and we are forced to act on behalf of the neighbors,” village administrator David Cox wrote in a memo to the Village Board explaining the issue.
The current village ordinance, based on state statues, indirectly addresses the issue. Staff is recommending the village ordinance be amended to call for a specific maximum height for grass and weeds. The ordinance would be directed primarily at vacant parcels, but would also apply to other properties that might not be maintained.
Staff recommends a range of 8 to 12 inches as the maximum height for grasses and weeds.
The discussion at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting included:
- How to accommodate “natural plantings. “We happen to live in a community that’s more rural where that exists …,” said Trustee Aaron Karow. “In a city it’s cut and dried.”
- Should there be regulation for large tracts, such as planned subdivisions, which have no homes on them?
- How can the ordinance be crafted to allow discretion for village staff?
Cox said the issue would be further researched and a proposed ordinance submitted for board approval at a future date.
