PARKER — Homeowners could see fees for lawn maintenance placed on their property taxes following a Parker council vote Tuesday night.
Instead of the routine practice to “clean and lien,” an amendment of a city ordinance going before the council tonight gives the city a different — and, city leaders hope, more efficient — way to be reimbursed when taxpayer funds are spent to clean unkempt yards or lots with hazardous materials or chemicals.
Violations include grass, weeds or brush that reach a height of 8 inches or more, and imminent public health threats, like broken glass, rusted metal, automotive and appliance parts containing chemicals that may cause injury or disease to humans or contaminate the environment.
Under current city law, Parker can seek repayment for cleanup efforts of violations only by placing liens on nuisance properties, which could take years to recoup. To date, the city has nearly $85,000 caught up in lien limbo.
“Almost every other city is walking down that same path,” Mayor Rich Musgrave said. “It’s been a long road. Part of the reason it’s taken so long is we wanted to be accurate as we could, making sure we weren’t taking normal fines and using them as assessments.”
Costs of correcting violations can include all administrative expenses, attorneys’ fees and all other identifiable costs incurred by the city, according to the ordinance. If bills are not paid in full within 20 days after the property owner has received notice of the assessment, the unpaid amount will accrue interest at the rate of 10 percent a year or at the maximum rate allowed by law, whichever is less.
Property owners who failed or refused to pay the amount owed to the city could lose title to their property, the amendment reads. The amendment does not change conditions in which the city would intervene with tax dollars to abate a nuisance property, and the city still would have the option of remedying those through liens and foreclosures, if necessary.
Assessments can be applied to homestead exempt properties, as well.
Musgrave said code enforcement will give people adequate opportunities to correct deficiencies and will not be proactively pursuing complaints.
“We don’t proactively go and look for nuisance properties to clean,” Musgrave said. “There are those things that need to go down the process and end up with a lien. But if somebody calls stating a complaint … I would think the complainants would expect something like that.”
Council members will meet at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall, 1001 W. Park St., to discuss the amendment. The meeting is open to the public and the council will discuss city goals and priorities in a 4 p.m. workshop.
Council members also will consider an interlocal agreement with Bay County Animal Control during their regular meeting.