Goodrich – A new weed ordinance adopted by the village is not making the cut for at least one property owner.
Michael Furnari, owner of Fairview Builders, was shocked when he received a bill of non-compliance on July 7 asking for $2,280 from the village for a one-time mowing of his 24 vacant lots in the Fairview Estates sub-division near East Hegel Road and M-15. The lots are about 80-by-100 feet each.
According to the ordinance, for a business or residence that has weeds six inches or higher, the village will mow the property and charge the owner $20 for the mowing and a $75 administrative fee for each piece of property.
The high costs for mowing outraged Furnari. During the regular council meeting meeting on July 14, Furnari pleaded with the council to lower the charges because this was his first infraction.
Council President Ed York asked if Furnari had received a letter of non-compliance from the village before he received the bill. Furnari said because he moved to a new address, he never received one. ‘Even though you did not receive the letter from us, we sent the letter as a courtesy to you. We are not required to do that,? said York.
After a lengthy discussion, council members voted 4-1 (councilmember Patricia Wartella wanted the charges dropped) to cut Furnari’s bill by 50 percent. Furnari is left with a bill of $1,180 for the one-time mowing.
‘I accepted the council’s offer to cut my bill by 50 percent because I felt intimidated by them,? said Furnari. ‘It was a decision I made under duress. How could the council do this to their residents in a day and age when there is so much pain and suffering? Worse yet, they actually cut the lots before the new ordinance went into effect on June 30. The grass was cut during the first two weeks in June. I didn’t know that at the meeting, a good Samaritan told me that after the meeting. The bill should have only been $72. I will be drafting a letter soon asking that the bill be amended to reflect this mistake.?
Although the new weed ordinance went into effect on June 30, including the $75 administrative fee, on April 14, Village Attorney Thomas McKenney asked the council to eliminate the $75.
‘We can only charge what your costs actually are. In a unanimous decision, the council agreed to the new wording and agreed to eliminate the $75 administrative fee and charge 15 percent of the mowing bill.?
On June 26, a memo from Village Administrator Jakki Sidge to the village council asked the administrative fee to be changed to $75 per lot to motivate residents to mow. The new ordinance was changed to include the $75 administrative fee for each property that requires mowing.
Councilmember David Lucik defended the $75 administrative fee.
‘Pat Schierup, who does the billing for the mowing, told us this is more work than people think. She said she has to bill these people and every lot has to be individually taken out and looked at to see who owns them. So the $75 administrative fee was put into place,? said Lucik. ‘Maybe $75 is too much, and we will look into that, but I still think it is a great deterrent. Basically, when it gets right down to the nitty gritty, no property owner will have to pay the $75 if they mow their lawn. Cut your weeds, and you won’t have an administration fee. It is really a headache for municipalities to babysit people who don’t cut their weeds down. We are not in the lawn cutting business.?
Councilmember Patricia Wartella, who voted against the $75 administrative fee, was embarassed by the council’s decision.
‘They are basically charging astronomical fees that no other township would even consider implementing. This is not the way we should treat our residents.?
In Brandon Township, Administrative Assistant Mary Kassuba, said warning letters are sent prior to billing for uncut grass.
‘We send out two certified letters warning our residents to cut their lawn,? she said. ‘If they do not comply, we charge $50 for a mowing. There is no administrative fee.?