The Boulder City Council is looking to incorporate selected community comments into its proposed community decay, beautification and upkeep ordinance.
Some of those comments, received from residents in February, include increasing the lawn height above six inches, possible consequences for failing to pay fines, and some language refinements, such as specifying where complaints need to be filed.
A first reading of the proposed ordinance is scheduled to go before the City Council at its June 15 meeting.
City Council member Michael “Bear” Taylor said the Council decided to update its existing ordinance, which is decades old, when it realized it had too many gray areas, making it hard to enforce.
City Clerk Ellen Harne said the current ordinance hasn’t been enforced at all in the past year.
Taylor said that is likely because the current ordinance wasn’t clear on how to move forward legally with enforcement other than asking a property owner to clean up their yard. The proposed ordinance also includes junk vehicles.
The proposed ordinance requires a written, signed complaint from at least two people before the city can take action.
This is a way to avoid neighbor disputes or one person targeting another, said Taylor.
When a property owner receives a notice that there has been a complaint and there is a violation, the complainants won’t be listed in that notice, said Taylor, adding that the original complaint will be on file at City Hall.
Taylor said the intent is not to file complaints against residents, but instead to create a new standard where people take pride in their property and keep up their yards.
It’s not about causing legal problems for people, but rather a mechanism for the community to step up and help folks clean up a situation that may have gotten out of control, he said
The proposed ordinance addresses the accumulation of items, including junk vehicles, on property and on the street. It governs how weeds grass and other vegetation will be maintained, with regards to how it encroaches on public sidewalks, streets and paths.
The proposed ordinance allows action by the city after it receives a written, signed complaint by two or more people that a potential violation of the ordinance has occurred. If it appears a violation has occurred, the property owner will be notified by mail, according to the proposed ordinance.
After receiving notification, the property owner has 10 days to fix the problem, can submit a plan to do so or appeal the violation to the City Council, according to the proposed ordinance.
If the violation is not resolved, the city can assess the property owner for the cost to address it, according to the proposed ordinance.
Under the proposed ordinance, property owners have the option of shielding potential public nuisance materials using fencing or vegetation.
Once approved, the community decay, beautification and upkeep ordinance will repeal prior ordinances dealing with junk vehicles, debris and vegetation.
