Fining residents for shabby homes...nearby town

[karlrschneider]

This is nuts. I don't have any problem with making property owners comply with a REASONABLE standard of
appearance or eliminating obviously hazardous conditions but this goes way beyond what seems acceptable to me.
Property management covenants in gated communities are bad enough but this imposes on a whole town.
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=127884

There's a pdf document at the bottom of this story that scares the shit outta me...
:eyes:

[snappyturtle]

1. I have mixed emotions on this topic.

Having lived in a gated community and forever grateful to be out of it in this instance it sounds as if they voted on this.....and they'll help those who can't abide by the regulations (e.g. the elderly). I'll be interested in hearing what others have to say.

[azurnoir]

2. So are there any provisions for people

that are too elderly or poor to make the repairs? Are they going to be fined until the property can be claimed?

[karlrschneider]

4. Good question, I don't think anybody knows.

...

[Rosemary2205]

8. The article says help is available.

Glenpool says it has enlisted volunteers who are willing to help the elderly, or those who can't afford to spruce up their home.

[Tempest]

3. As long as this is done in a reasonable manner

I don't personally see a problem with it.

But I can see this being abused.

[gollygee]

5. Sounds like the rules for my town

no parking except on an improved surface. No broken windows. That kind of thing? It doesn't bother me but maybe only because I'm used to it? I don't know.

[karlrschneider]

6. Read the link at the bottom. It goes way beyond broken windows.

Reads like a PNAC doc.

[gollygee]

13. It reads like my town's code

The pdf doc? What in it is unusual? I'm not being snarky - I haven't lived many places and maybe this is unusual but just something I'm used to, but it all seems normal to me.

[karlrschneider]

15. It's pretty unusual.

And it's pretty fucking disgusting too.

[tularetom]

7. They tried that here - in the county for crissakes

some tightasses complained about people with junk cars, tractors and other crap on their property. This is a fucking rural area - that's why some of these people move here. Their attorney told them their ordinance was legally supportable but probably unenforceable but they went ahead and adopted it anyway. The third week it was in effect some good ol boy took a shot at their enforcement officer and he quit. It turned out the officer was trying to make the guy paint a garage on his property and he had threatened to red tag the home and force the owner to vacate it.

Anyway they couldn't get anybody to apply for the code enforcement job so they more or less ignored the problem. However the stupid law that started it all is still on the books just waiting for the next tightass to whine about some hick with an old car up on blocks on his lawn.

Note: I don't condone shooting at government agents but the government needs to use common sense in its approach to community standards and their enforcement.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. In Franklin Lakes, NJ you can be fined if a commercial truck can be

seen from the road, PARKED ON YOUR PROPERTY, not necessarily on the lawn, but in the parking area.

What's next? Fined if you don't have a Mercedes in your driveway?

[Rosemary2205]

10. I don't see the problem.

We aren't talking out in the boonies here. This is a suburb of Tulsa that seems to be on the low side of middle class.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Glenpool-Oklahoma.html

Tulsa is having a nice boom and Glenpool is getting left behind. Asking people to mow the grass and get all the dead cars and trash off the front yard - fix broken windows and hanging half off shutters -- doesn't seem to be asking much - especially when they have people volunteering to help the elderly and poor.

I read the pdf and it seems to be standard legaleze to me.

[KamaAina]

11. All they do is fine you?! Hell, in New Orleans, they'll tear down the place

well, they could, legally, but so far it's going along at about the same speed as anything else down there...

http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?tabid=109

Following an inspection of the structure during which a determination of a serious and imminent threat to public health, safety and welfare is made, a notice will be provided to the registered owner of the property advising that the structure may be demolished or remediated by the City of New Orleans 30 business days from the date of the posted notice.

The property owner will be notified by:

Regular mail to the last known address of the registered owner of the property as reflected in the Office of the Registrar of Conveyances for the Parish of Orleans and in the tax rolls of the City of New Orleans
Posting a notice on the property advising that the property has been found to be in violation of this section of the City Code;
Posting of the finding on the City’s website; and
Posting in the Times Picayune for three (3) consecutive days

of course, some of the property owners who are still evacuated might find it difficult to locate a copy of the T-P at the corner newsstand where they are... :eyes:

[Solo_in_MD]

12. The PDF is a template, not the actual law

I am curious about what was tailored out or added to it.

Recently in our area they outlawed the private junkyards in the county. Overall, not a bad idea, all things considered

[karlrschneider]

17. I haven't been able to find their final adaptation of the template.

I live a ways from Glenpool, not in an incorporated town and I'd support an ordinance out here in the county that would force cleaning up obvious 'trash' yards which can be found out here but we often park some of our boats in the
back 'yard' (part of 2 acres), and also spare cars (which we use frequently) and our travel camper. But they aren't eyesores and for sure aren't public nuisances, but could technically be considered as such under the outlines of Glenpool's mandate on how everyone must conform to a bunch of minutia.

[FailureFries]

14. Depends upon your idea of private property

and its usage.

Is it truly private property when others can tell you what to do with it to such an extent?

I personally think it's a very slippery slope. Visceral reaction: Let the people do what they want with their own property. Danger is one thing, who's to say what 'shabby' is or how far it goes?
It also sounds like it may have the capacity to easily dispossess poorer or less well-connected people of their property.

[SoCalDem]

16. The "yard nanny" ticketed us because we did not have "landscaping"

.. The fine was $300 if we did not "correct" our poor sad dead lawn. We spent well over that, and re-planted..but alas after about a month, it too died..and yes we did water (and we have a sprinkler system)..

I can only take solace in the fact that a lot of people on our block got nailed for stuff too.. she was a busy lady that day..:eyes:

It's a clever way to drum up some money for towns..

We do NOT live in a gated community or have a Home Association,,,just some obscure "rulesd" that don;t get followed until the city needs some extra cash

[me b zola]

18. We are having a simular problem here

We have "natural" landscaping which means we have wild flowers growing in our front yard. Our backyard would meet these tight-asses aproval, we have a small lawn and a small tended flower garden, but we don't want that look for our front yard.

For the past 3 years the old bitty next door with a yard that uses tons of chemicals and reminds me of a surgical suite for it's sharp lines and sterile appearence has called the city to get us to change our front yard. The city workers always feel sorry for us as they draw up a "to-do list" if we don't want to face a fine. We always do the minimum to come into complience, but I know it is far from the desired results that the nosey-assed neighbors were hoping for.

When these mother fuckers pay our mortgage then they can tell us wtf to do with our yard.

[Solo_in_MD]

20. Have you considered xeriscape?

Minimal irrigation landscaping and incontestably landscaping.

[MadHound]

19. Can't leave a boat outside?

Umm, what if you don't have a garage, what, you're supposed to put it in your living room.:wtf:

Sorry, but this is going to be another stealth tax on the poor. Since they can't afford to keep their paint jobs chip free, or repair that broken window right away, they will be the ones that these fines will be given out to in inordinate numbers.

[Solo_in_MD]

22. Many neighborhoods requrie that boats be out of sight of the street

same with RVs.

[SmokingJacket]

21. If I were queen of all creation, people would be allowed to do what

they like to their property, barring any direct effect on neighbors (NOT including presumed property values). No harboring rodents, but a wrecked car in the front yard would be fine.