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Resident says inspector cited 86‑year‑old for wildflowers, urges council to rethink yard‑plant rules
Summary
During public comment, Steve Reynolds accused the administration of heavy‑handed enforcement after an inspector ordered his 86‑year‑old mother to remove wildflowers classified as weeds; councilmembers said staff will follow up and clarified the current suspension applies to rights‑of‑way, not private residents.
Steve Reynolds told the Grandview Heights City Council on May 11 that a recent ordinance regulating yard plantings has led to what he called an inappropriate enforcement action against his 86‑year‑old mother.
“Last week, the administration sent an inspector to the home of my 86‑year‑old mother to tell her that her front yard full of wildflowers were, in fact, weeds, and she had 30 days to get rid of them,” Reynolds said. He called the ordinance “heavy handed” and said residents’ meadow‑style plantings were being treated as harassment rather than neighborhood stewardship.
President Keeler responded that the council would look into the complaint. Council member Kozak later said she went to the property, reviewed the plantings with an identification app and found mostly native meadow grasses and daisies; she said the only species that flagged as a noxious weed was bindweed, which has invasive roots. Kozak warned that enforcement staff should identify the specific noxious species when issuing notices so residents understand what must be removed.
President Keeler and other council members clarified that the city had paused the program for rights‑of‑way while it develops the policy; enforcement for private residents, they said, had not been suspended. “For the right of way, but not for the private residents,” Keeler said when asked for clarification.
The comments came amid broader council discussion about the recently passed ordinance governing landscape and noxious weeds. Council members asked staff to follow up with specifics on enforcement procedures and to ensure inspectors cite the precise noxious plant when they notify property owners.
What happens next: Council directed staff to review the cited case and provide details on the enforcement notice; council members indicated they will work to clarify how the ordinance is implemented and communicated to residents.
