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#1 2008-08-05 7:50 pm

Denali
Chuck Baldwin McCain OR John McCain for hope
From: Mile High, CO
Registered: 2005-06-29
Posts: 1055
Website

Fined for having a bad looking yard

Well we got a notice the other day from some spineless city worker.  They claim our weeds are to tall (what weeds) and we need to clear the rubbish from our yard (the pile of landscaping material) 

I have a question.  Because we do not have a fence on one side of our house can they fine you for what goes on behind your house?  You can see it from the street, but you have to look really hard to see some of the weeds that escaped the "kill" we poured on for the past month. 

Another question:  What is considered "Public right of way"  It said it must be cleared.  I assume they mean the space between our house and our neighbor's fence, but if we put up a privacy fence that blocks the "public right of way"  Other than that we have nothing blocking the sidewalks, mailboxes, or paths to our house.

Get this $100 fee to appeal.  tongue  Kiss my smurf

Thanks for reading had to get that off my chest.

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#2 2008-08-05 8:05 pm

Daniel
[dp] design#
From: Indian Harbour Beach, FL
Registered: 2000-11-21
Posts: 9234
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

The public right of way is the road, or sidewalk.  If you're blocking the sidewalk or road, or your mailbox is not reachable by the USPS, you're blocking the public right of way.  Did you by chance have a garbage can or car on the road at the edge of your property?

A $100 fee to appeal can't be legal.  Sue the city.

Last edited by Daniel (2008-08-05 8:05 pm)


Airman Dan
Private Pilot, Airplane Single-Engine Land
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ONE NATION WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

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#3 2008-08-05 8:32 pm

justine
Elitist Beer Lover
Moderator
From: Bay Area
Registered: 1999-12-23
Posts: 28197
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

You need to contact your city and find out what the blight laws are where you live. And charging people for appeals  makes sure only serious people are taking up the cities time.


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#4 2008-08-05 9:22 pm

Donkey Butter
jerk face
From: over yonder
Registered: 2005-12-14
Posts: 2303

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

this thread would be a lot better if it came with a picture. http://homepage.mac.com/oatmeal/MAF/maxes/2cents.gif

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#5 2008-08-05 9:25 pm

Arc
Oh my God.
Registered: 2000-12-19
Posts: 2198

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Fire Hazard?


Admins!  I've been waiting for you!

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#6 2008-08-05 11:09 pm

sturner
Royal High Poobah
Moderator
From: Carrollton, TX USA
Registered: 2000-01-31
Posts: 9915

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

justine wrote:

You need to contact your city and find out what the blight laws are where you live. And charging people for appeals  makes sure only serious people are taking up the cities time.

So only the wealthy can afford to dispute the city and seek redress of greviences? I think it's a lot like a poll tax.


"There were places in the world commemorating those times when wizards hadn't been quite as clever [as to refrain from doing magic when you knew how easy it was], and on many of them the grass would never grow again."  Terry Prachett

There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.

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#7 2008-08-05 11:33 pm

Antonio
Now with more cowbell!
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: 2007-01-16
Posts: 520

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

sturner wrote:

justine wrote:

You need to contact your city and find out what the blight laws are where you live. And charging people for appeals  makes sure only serious people are taking up the cities time.

So only the wealthy can afford to dispute the city and seek redress of greviences? I think it's a lot like a poll tax.

Agreed. You shouldn't be charged to appeal something like this, and the entire situation sounds like the city is doing it to generate revenue, which is abusive, same as Colorado Springs was with traffic laws back in '02, when consumer spending took a nosedive and the city was suffering due to less sales tax revenue.


“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
--HP Lovecraft, The Call Of Cthulhu

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#8 2008-08-05 11:35 pm

justine
Elitist Beer Lover
Moderator
From: Bay Area
Registered: 1999-12-23
Posts: 28197
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

How are blight laws abusive?


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#9 2008-08-06 12:01 am

sturner
Royal High Poobah
Moderator
From: Carrollton, TX USA
Registered: 2000-01-31
Posts: 9915

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Blight laws aren't abusive, the charge to appeal (redress of greviences) is.


"There were places in the world commemorating those times when wizards hadn't been quite as clever [as to refrain from doing magic when you knew how easy it was], and on many of them the grass would never grow again."  Terry Prachett

There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.

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#10 2008-08-06 1:20 am

Bat
Adult's Play
Royal Wombat
From: Björk, Björk
Registered: 2001-05-14
Posts: 24109

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Laws and ordnances can be abused, tho. I have a horror story I don't really want to share in detail, but it involves abusive fines followed by an attempt to take away my house in court, fortunately foiled. Quite a few properties were either bought or seized here in recent years. Recently it came out the mayor has a close relative who's a realtor. hmm

In '84 the entire police force was fired and the Chief went up the river; the previous mayor went up the river in '01. You get the idea... the town has a history. Unfortunately investigations take time- the last mayor was pulled over and his trunk contents gone thru by the FBI in '94. Seven years is a long time to wait for relief... anyway, the faces change, the song remains the same. And the fines were never dismissed, only settled for half of face 'value.' This year there's talk of financial troubles, fees are up & services cut (apparently a huge slush fund inherited from the previous is now exhausted).

There's a lot more, but I'd rather not go into it. Likely moving is the only real solution.

Good luck, Denali.


If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw

"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."

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#11 2008-08-06 7:47 am

justine
Elitist Beer Lover
Moderator
From: Bay Area
Registered: 1999-12-23
Posts: 28197
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

They may have something in place where if the appeal is one, the cost is refunded. It keeps it down to serious appeals.


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#12 2008-08-06 9:04 am

Ribtorus
Member
Registered: 2002-07-11
Posts: 13268

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Local government must be to the highest standards of accountability.

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It's not a movie.

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#13 2008-08-06 9:43 am

Tallgeese
Arugula-eating Elitist
From: Fake America
Registered: 2000-10-17
Posts: 30646

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

justine wrote:

How are blight laws abusive?

If they're vague and subjective enough so that Denali can't even be sure what she's done wrong, that gives potential for abuse.


He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis
- Dr. James Dobson, on "preventing" homosexuality

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#14 2008-08-06 10:04 am

bratboy
attorney-at-law
Royal Wombat
From: Austin, Texas
Registered: 2003-01-19
Posts: 30572

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Perhaps contacting the city would be in order.


"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."

                                                                   --Paul Krugman

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#15 2008-08-06 10:14 am

LLEVIATHANN
Itch you can't scratch
From: 22 Acacia Avenue
Registered: 2001-03-14
Posts: 7019

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Farmer sends message to neighbors with car fence

HOOPER, Utah - A farmer has erected a fence in his backyard made of three old cars sticking up in the air to send a message to new neighbors that he can do whatever he wants on his farm. "This is just a fun way for me to say, 'Hey boys, I'm still here,'" said Rhett Davis. "This is my redneck Stonehenge."

Davis came up with the idea after neighbors who recently moved into homes next to his hayfield complained about his farm.

"The people who bought the homes say, 'Well, we love looking into your yard and seeing the horses and the cattle, but we don't like the flies, and we don't like the mosquitoes,' and when I cut my field to bale it, they say, 'We don't like the dust in the air,' " Davis said.

Link

Not that I want to give any one ideas or you could print this out and say "Hey it could be worse." wink


Let us be thankful for the fools; but for them the rest of us could not succeed. - Mark Twain

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#16 2008-08-06 10:30 am

LukeLucas
has his head in a cannon
From: Montgomery, AL, USA
Registered: 2002-08-28
Posts: 3103
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

the picture in that article is beautiful.


suck it, trebek.

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#17 2008-08-06 11:04 am

Antonio
Now with more cowbell!
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: 2007-01-16
Posts: 520

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

LLEVIATHANN wrote:

Farmer sends message to neighbors with car fence

HOOPER, Utah - A farmer has erected a fence in his backyard made of three old cars sticking up in the air to send a message to new neighbors that he can do whatever he wants on his farm. "This is just a fun way for me to say, 'Hey boys, I'm still here,'" said Rhett Davis. "This is my redneck Stonehenge."

Davis came up with the idea after neighbors who recently moved into homes next to his hayfield complained about his farm.

"The people who bought the homes say, 'Well, we love looking into your yard and seeing the horses and the cattle, but we don't like the flies, and we don't like the mosquitoes,' and when I cut my field to bale it, they say, 'We don't like the dust in the air,' " Davis said.

Link

Not that I want to give any one ideas or you could print this out and say "Hey it could be worse." wink

Wow. They know they moved next to a farm, right?

Davis said he offered to pay half the cost of a fence between his property and the others and to build it. He said his neighbors declined the offer, saying it would block their view.

That sounds reasonable. They'd only pay half the cost of the fence, and nothing for the labor of installation.

The area has grown recently with new residents who desire a country atmosphere but don't want the smells and noises of farm life, Davis said.

"I respect that they're here and spent a lot on their homes, but on the other hand, give me a little bit, too. I've been here since I was 7 years old," he said.

It sounds to me as if they want a custom living environment/custom community in the same way they'd order a pizza or computer custom. They want to have not only their own cake and eat it, too, they want someone else's cake, as well.
"Whaa! We want to live next to a farm but hate the smell of hay and animals, whaa!"
Has our society become spoiled to the point where the individual fails to realize the world is bigger than they are?


“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
--HP Lovecraft, The Call Of Cthulhu

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#18 2008-08-06 11:08 am

Tallgeese
Arugula-eating Elitist
From: Fake America
Registered: 2000-10-17
Posts: 30646

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

It's been like this for years. People move out of the city for the "country life" and then demand that the farmers stop farming.

Yuppies are douchebags.


He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis
- Dr. James Dobson, on "preventing" homosexuality

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#19 2008-08-06 11:38 am

jeff-o
Artist's Rendition:
From: Waterloo, Ontario
Registered: 1999-04-10
Posts: 10015
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Antonio wrote:

Has our society become spoiled to the point where the individual fails to realize the world is bigger than they are?

I'm sure it's been like that for centuries, if not longer.  The problem is that they get what they want more often these days.


"I'd rather be told, 'Have a nice day.' by someone who doesn't mean it, than 'F*** you!' by someone who does." - Lewis Black

www.rebel-cycles.com - Purveyor of fine recumbent bicycles

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#20 2008-08-06 6:14 pm

justine
Elitist Beer Lover
Moderator
From: Bay Area
Registered: 1999-12-23
Posts: 28197
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Tallgeese wrote:

justine wrote:

How are blight laws abusive?

If they're vague and subjective enough so that Denali can't even be sure what she's done wrong, that gives potential for abuse.

Well, maybe they aren't vague and subjective. She's asking us, not them. She needs to contact her city like i said before and find out what the law actually is.


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#21 2008-08-06 9:23 pm

Antonio
Now with more cowbell!
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: 2007-01-16
Posts: 520

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

justine wrote:

Tallgeese wrote:

justine wrote:

How are blight laws abusive?

If they're vague and subjective enough so that Denali can't even be sure what she's done wrong, that gives potential for abuse.

Well, maybe they aren't vague and subjective. She's asking us, not them. She needs to contact her city like i said before and find out what the law actually is.

Are you part of a homeowner's association?


“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
--HP Lovecraft, The Call Of Cthulhu

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#22 2008-08-06 9:48 pm

bratboy
attorney-at-law
Royal Wombat
From: Austin, Texas
Registered: 2003-01-19
Posts: 30572

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

I don't know that "spineless city workers" (why spineless?) issue tickets for HOAs.


"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."

                                                                   --Paul Krugman

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#23 2008-08-06 9:52 pm

Thrica
What's reality compared to me?
Royal Wombat
From: Orplid
Registered: 2003-09-19
Posts: 6096
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

I think Denali is saying she's going to appeal the $100 fine, not that it costs $100 to appeal.

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#24 2008-08-06 10:03 pm

sturner
Royal High Poobah
Moderator
From: Carrollton, TX USA
Registered: 2000-01-31
Posts: 9915

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Nope, she said there is a $100 fee to submit an appeal.


"There were places in the world commemorating those times when wizards hadn't been quite as clever [as to refrain from doing magic when you knew how easy it was], and on many of them the grass would never grow again."  Terry Prachett

There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.

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#25 2008-08-06 10:38 pm

justine
Elitist Beer Lover
Moderator
From: Bay Area
Registered: 1999-12-23
Posts: 28197
Website

Re: Fined for having a bad looking yard

Antonio wrote:

justine wrote:

Tallgeese wrote:


If they're vague and subjective enough so that Denali can't even be sure what she's done wrong, that gives potential for abuse.

Well, maybe they aren't vague and subjective. She's asking us, not them. She needs to contact her city like i said before and find out what the law actually is.

Are you part of a homeowner's association?

This doesn't have anything to do with HOAs. The city fined her for blight. She's lucky they didn't send someone out to clean it up and then send her a bill.


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