From Channel 14 WFIE - "The city of Evansville wants certain residents to clean up their act and their yard.
The city is starting a program designed to embarrass residents into picking up the trash in their yards and trimming their weeds.
The city says it'll now be periodically issuing a list of the ten worst Evansville homes to the media.
The mayor says his office receives hundreds of complaints about neglected homes every week, and he says it's time for home owners to start taking responsibility for their mess.
Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel says, "It shouldn't [be] the responsibility of the neighbors to clean up the property. It shouldn't be the responsibility of the city using people's tax dollars. It should be the people who own this property."
If residents in violation of city weed and trash codes don't pick up their yards within about two weeks of the citation being issued, the city will clean it up for them and bill the residents for the work."
Can you imagine watching the news and seeing a picture of the front of your house saying it is one of the top 10 dirtiest homes in the city? The embaressment that would come with that would just be off the charts. So what do you think? Is this a good idea or is this taking it too far? Me, I'm all for it, but I know some people might think it too much. Curious to know what others think...
I am dealing with another Realtor right now who maybe the biggest asshole I have ever met. More to come later because the story is not over yet.
9 comments:
I think it is a good idea. True it is private property and people probably don't think we need more government interference but often they are more than an eyesore, they are actually dangerous. Fires could start, the mailman could trip and fall, etc. Anyway, we got new neighbors and they don't mow the whole lawn at once. They mow a little, leave a mess then a few days later, a little more. Weird and annoying.
Has anyone seen my neighborhood lately? I'm surrounded by filth! Elk Grove just passed a law to keep people from leaving their grass dry, etc. I know in certain neighborhoods, where there are association fees, you have to keep up your yards, but if everyone had to because it was law, wow - that would be great. It's just enforcing it that is the problem - maybe there would be less traffic tickets - hmmm - what a thought!
I'm against the government in our daily lives, however if your going to own a home YOU MUST MAINTAIN IT. It is your responsiblity and if the city is going to bill you for it, then maybe THAT will be an incentive. People pay attention when they have to pay. It's all about their pocketbooks.
Mom, It's not even so much the neighborhood but it's mainly just one house!
I think that if you buy a house, and live in America, you should be able to do or not do what you want with it. I think there should be a few legal guidelines that have to do with the mailman's and other's safety, but that should be an insurance problem for each homeowner to deal with.
I am sick of the government slowly but surely encroaching upon the rights our forefathers worked so hard to ensure for Americans.
Perhaps incentives should be given in the form of business fortifying discounts and free items, instead of penalties and law enforcement. People don't have enough money, anymore, to pay for the aesthetic needs of their neighbors.
Al, one of the reasons people care, and rightly so, about what their neighbors house looks like is it can bring down the value of your personal residence. If I have a nice house, but my next door neighbor's house looks like junk, that can effect how much my house is worth. Nobody wants to lose money because the neighbor can't mow their own lawn. It brings down value and if there are too many houses like that, the community gets affected as a whole. Can't afford a lawnmower - you shouldn't buy a house.
Screw this crap! Keep government out of our lives. Some people have fallen in to health issues and can't mow their lawns and/or can't afford to pay people to do it after losing their jobs. If government wants to involve themselves, they should do so with investigations first and determine the reason why someones house isn't maintained better. Maybe neighbors can be neighbors first and find out if everything is alright with the homeowner first. Help them out if they are having problems. Government can kiss my ass!
"Can't afford a lawnmower - you shouldn't buy a house"
Real nice... ever heard of people falling in to bad times? They could afford it, then bam job or health issues and now they can't? House market is shit, can't sell it. Try seeing all sides before you spout off.
SO ANGRY!!!
I wonder if this angry person is someone I know. I totally understand where you are coming from, but I also think it is a ridiculous analogy. The majority of people don't keep up their house for one reason, laziness. I understand people do fall on hard times, but to go into a house without the proper means of being able to maintain it? Yes, I think that is on them.
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