City Receives Complaints About Yards

FARMINGTON — City Hall is receiving numerous complaints about unsightly yards, and Public Works Director Dan Ledbetter said employees are reminding citizens and homeowners that they must comply with city ordinances to maintain their property.

“We want our community to be very nice,” Ledbetter said.

His workers have left at least 30 door hangers in recent weeks, notifying residents that they are in violation of city ordinances. So far this year, about 80 notices have been left at people’s houses.

Ledbetter said he believes some people may not be aware of two ordinances that regulate how citizens must maintain their properties in residential areas.

Ordinance 5.9 (F), approved in May 2001, states that vehicles parked in yards or driveways must be operable, licensed and insured. If not, then the vehicles cannot be stored longer than 10 days on the property, unless a vehicle is behind a privacy fence or in a storage building.

Ordinance 5.9 ( G), also approved May 2001, says that premises must be kept free from weeds, rank grass, garbage, rubbish or other unsightly or unsani- tary matter. This ordinance defines weeds as any brush, grass or vegetation that is higher than six inches and is not regularly cultivated.

In addition to their yards, Ledbetter said residents are required to maintain onehalf of their utility easements, their ditches and the drainage tiles that run under driveways.

Many of the complaints are coming in because people are not mowing and maintaining their half of the utility easements and because residents are not keeping their drainage tiles free of debris.

“It’s their responsibility to keep it cleaned,” Ledbetter said.

He said his workers do not drive around looking for violations of the city ordinances but if a person files a complaint about one house, then employees will check the whole neighborhood.

That’s what happened with the recent notices, Ledbetter said. He received one complaint and then found 30 other houses in the same area that were not in compliance with the ordinances.

“Everyone needs to be a good neighbor,” Ledbetter said. “When you move into an area, you expect people to be good neighbors.”

The door hangers remind residents to maintain their yards to comply with the ordinances. If a yard is not mowed or cleaned up, the next step would be a code violation. If the person then does not take care of the problem, Ledbetter said the city would issue a citation. No citations have been given out this year, but Ledbetter said it has come to the point he may have to issue citations.

He said, though, that the city is willing to work with people who cannot mow or maintain their yards right away because of extenuating circumstances. He urged anyone who receives an initial notice to call him at City Hall to talk about the problem.

Both ordinances provide for penalties. For 5.9 (F), the penalty is a fine of not less than $50 or more than $500 for each offense. For 5.9 (G), the ordinance gives the city the authority to remove the weeds or rubbish, and all costs incurred would be charged against the property in violation. The resident would reimburse the city, as well as pay any fines imposed.

Ledbetter can be reached at 267-3865 or danledbetter@cityoffarmington-ar.gov.