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Council weighs raising grass-height threshold, endorses door-hanger notices and stiffer follow-up
Summary
Struthers council debated changing the current 6-inch grass-height threshold to 8–10 inches, discussed removing the mailed-letter step, and agreed to use dated door hangers with a short compliance window and to consider higher enforcement when properties reach 10 inches.
Struthers City Council spent lengthy discussion on amending the city’s grass/unsightly property enforcement rules, focusing on the current 6-inch threshold, how residents are notified, and the assessment and citation process.
Council members said sharply enforcing the present 6-inch standard would generate a very large number of notices during wet weather. Several members proposed raising the threshold to 8 or 10 inches and using a dated door-hanger to notify property owners that the city will cut tall grass and assess costs if the work is not completed within a short window. The council discussed removing the prior mailed-letter requirement for repeat violations and clarified that the ordinance currently authorizes service by door posting, hand delivery, or leaving notice at the owner’s usual residence; it does not require or authorize mailing.
Members proposed several concrete changes: set the trigger somewhere between 8 and 10 inches, require a dated door hanger for the first notice with a 72-hour or similar compliance window, and make subsequent violations subject to assessment without another full mailed notice. Councilors also discussed administrative citation amounts and an assessment policy: a board resolution discussed at the meeting already sets tiered administrative citation amounts (first, second, third offense) and an assessed fee for city grass cutting; the council referenced a previously passed assessment resolution that sets the city recovery amount at $2.50 per foot (as read at the meeting) for assessments tied to cutting.
Staff said grass tallness enforcement sometimes lags because of weather and the multi-step notice process; councilors argued the ordinance should be realistic about weather and prompt when noncompliance is habitual. Council asked staff to return draft ordinance language incorporating the door-hanger notice, an amended height threshold (council discussed 8–10 inches), and clear language about when mailed notice is not required for repeat violations. The council also endorsed creating and printing new door-hanger stickers and using door hangers for initial notice with dates clearly posted.
No final ordinance vote was taken. Council directed staff to draft the proposed changes and return them for formal consideration.
