First required cutting deadline Monday, May 14
Wellston City Code Enforcement Officer Ryan Pelletier would like to remind the public of the existing city ordinance requiring the cutting of grass and weeds during the spring and summer months. The first required cutting this year must be made no later than Monday, May 14.
“Any property owner who has failed to cut any and all parcels within the City of Wellston by May 14 will be cited into court and their property taxes will be assessed,” Pelletier stated.
Following are the main provisions of the 2018 city ordinance pertaining to the required cutting of grass and weeds:
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 93.15, RELATING TO CUTTING REQUIRED OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF WELLSTON, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
(A) Any person owning or having charge of land (this would include any owner, company or lending institution) within the city shall keep the property free and clear of all grass, noxious weeds and rank vegetation, and shall cut all of such on the lots owned or controlled by him or her at least four times in every year, two weeks before Memorial Day in May, two weeks before Independence Day on July 4th, two weeks before the end of July and two weeks before Labor day.
(B) Any person owning nonresidential developed land may be exempted from this regulation by the Director of Public Service, and the owner may cut such land once per year.
(C) If the owner or person having charge of such land fails to comply to cut grass/weeds, the Director of Public Service shall cause the grass, weeds and rank vegetation to be cut and destroyed and may employ the necessary labor to perform such task, if there is sufficient money appropriated to do so.
(D) The Director of Public Service, through the City Auditor, shall make a written return to the County Auditor of their actions under this section with a statement of the charges for its service, the amount paid for labor, the fees of serving such notices and a proper description of the premises. Such amounts, when allowed, shall be entered upon the tax duplicate and shall be a lien upon such lands from and after the date of the entry and be collected as other taxes, and be turned in to the city into the General Fund.
(E) The owner or person having charge of such land, (this would include any owner, company or lending institution) who fails to comply with the notice to cut weeds as described in division (A) above, and violates this section, is guilty of a minor misdemeanor, and shall be fined up to $150.
(F) The owner or person having charge of such land, (this would include any owner, company or lending institution) who fails to comply with the notice to cut weeds as described in division (A) above, and violates this section, shall be charged $250 per each incident for a city lot of up to 120×60 ft.
It is hereby found and determined that all formal acts of this council concerning and relating to adoption of this Ordinance were adopted in an open meeting of this council and the deliberations of the council and any of its committees resulted in such formal action, were in meetings open to the public and in compliance with all legal requirements including Section 121.22 of the Ohio Revised Code.
