Native Suburbia
Environmentally friendly landscaping with native plants

• Home
• About the Project
• Digging Deeper
• Pictures
• Invasive Plants
• Help Us ID
• Resources
• Contact Info
• ICODE6.net
• 
• RSS 2.0 
• 

=> home => native_suburbia => 20110622_maintenance_violation_notice

Categories:

Whose Property Is It?

In what has become an annual ritual, the Village of Bartlett has again decided that Native Suburbia is hazardous. This time I was notified via a Property Maintenance Violation Notice from the Health Department. I have generously been given 4 days to correct the violation of "weeds/tall grass" in the parkway or the Village will mow and bill.

As we learned last year when the Village mowed Bartlett has no interest in the benefits of native plants in the parkway. What we also learned that there is no municipal code compelling adjacent property owners to maintain the parkway. The land known as the parkway is the property of the Village and they may do with it whatever they wish. This was the position that Bartlett officials took when I pointed out that no codes were being violated. So having established ownership of the parkway, it seems to me that the Health Department has delivered the violation notice to the wrong address. I am not responsible for the property in question.

But of course I do not actually agree that there is any violation requiring action. I did generously volunteer my time to remove weeds such as dandelions and thistles from the parkway earlier this year. I wouldn't want the Village to be in violation of municipal code 4-3-2. It is a pretty weak definition of weeds, but they would have clearly been violating it without my assistance. There are no specific requirements in the code regarding ornamental plantings (forbs and gramoids). So currently the plants that I had previously established in the parkway before the neighbors started complaining are thriving and blooming and represent no violation of code. They are beautiful to look at and good for the environment. Unfortunately, I expect them to be mown to the ground all too soon. This will allow the weeds to once again return.

I am forced to address the complaint from the Village in order to remind them that they own the property in question. I will of course remind them of the beauty and benefits of native plants, but I know I will be wasting my breath.

/native_suburbia | Permalink (1 comment)