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Council hears concerns about noxious‑weeds enforcement and paperwork for single‑lot special assessments
Summary
Councilwoman Hammond said the city's noxious‑weeds and high‑grass enforcement relies on public notice without individual notice or a rectification step and pointed to ordinance sections 36.02 and 95.02; staff said assessment notification is by letter and not by phone.
Councilwoman Hammond raised concerns about how the city enforces noxious‑weeds and high‑grass rules and how single‑lot special assessments are communicated to property owners.
Hammond said the city's practice appears to treat any plant taller than nine inches as a noxious weed, that the ordinance's species list includes native pollinator plants (she cited milkweed and goldenrod) and that the current code (she referenced sections 36.02 and 95.02) appears to rely on a single public notice rather than providing individualized notice and opportunity to rectify before the city enters property and charges for abatement. "If the city sees it, we have a public notice out there. They can take immediate action, and there's no other notification required," she said, urging staff and council to consider an update to avoid punishing residents who intentionally cultivate native plants.
During the consent‑agenda conversation on single‑lot special assessments, Hammond asked how property owners are contacted; staff said notification is sent by letter or, when warranted, a notice of violation is posted on the property and that phone calls are not used as a formal method of contact. Hammond asked whether the assessing office (BS&A system) supports electronic/paperless notifications for owners of multiple properties; staff indicated that functionality is not available in BS&A.
Council did not vote on changing the ordinance during the meeting, but members requested follow‑up work to review notification procedures and coordinate with community partners (Hammond suggested the Land Conservancy group) to review species lists and due‑process steps.
