Laserfiche WebLink
C: <br />1� <br />Common Council <br />City of South Bend Indiana <br />Tim Scott, Council President <br />4'h Floor County -City Building <br />227 West Jefferson Boulevard <br />South Bend, Indiana 46601 <br />(574) 235 -5980 (574) 235 -9173 Facsimile (574)235 -5567 TTY/TDD <br />April 20, 2015 <br />Members of the Common Council <br />4°i Floor County -City Building <br />South Bend, Indiana 46601 <br />Re: Ordinance Updating the City's Tall Grass, Weeds, Noxious, Rank or <br />Overgrown Vegetation Regulations <br />Dear Council Members: <br />For the past several months we have been talking with members of the public and the City <br />Administration regarding the need to update our current regulations addressing tall grass and other <br />overgrown vegetation. Some of the City's regulations in this area have not been updated since <br />before 1962 which address a 12" maximum, while other City regulations have a 9" maximum. <br />Our review of several communities throughout Indiana, which have updated their regulations in <br />this area, established heights which range from 6" to 9" for the maximums allowed. <br />We believe that the property owner, who fails to comply with reasonable regulations in this area, <br />should bear the cost of compliance, rather than the City taxpayers. The attached ordinance would <br />do several things, such as: <br />• Update all regulations on this topic in the South Bend City Code <br />• Establish a consistent maximum height of 9" for such types of growth throughout the City <br />• Incorporate a program, similar to the one in City of Indianapolis, where the costs for <br />properties which are subject to continuous enforcement, would be assessed a fee amount <br />to help cover the costs of city inspections, abatement and administration, plus a fine <br />• Incorporates recommendations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) <br />publications which recommend the use of natural landscaping regulations to help protect <br />the beauty of natural areas while helping to reduce the use of pesticides, reduce the use of <br />power landscape equipment and promote soil, water conservation and sustainability <br />