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Resident challenges weed-abatement bill and requests independent review; staff defends process
Summary
A Cambria resident told the board he received an $839 weed-abatement bill despite having cut his lot and questioned contractor photos and billing; staff said they responded to public-records requests with before-and-after photos and that the district will reissue an RFP for the abatement contract when the term expires.
At the March 12 Cambria CSD meeting, resident Jeff Hellman told the board he was surprised to receive what he described as a large weed-abatement bill and questioned the contractor’s photos and the mobilization evidence underlying the charge.
“I got a bill in the mail for $839 for weed abatement,” Hellman said, adding that the contractor’s photos showed two people on his property without tools or vehicles and that he had paid people months earlier to clear the area. He asked whether the district had appropriately contracted locally and suggested a county grand-jury review of abatement practices.
General Manager McElhaney said staff had responded to Hellman’s two public-records requests by providing the before-and-after photos associated with the parcel and explained that contractors are mobilized to clear hundreds of lots in compressed timeframes, which increases costs. He said staff will issue a new request-for-proposals for the abatement contract now that the current two-year term is ending and reiterated that property owners can use the public-nuisance hearing process to review listings of failed parcels before contractors are released to perform abatement.
The board did not take immediate action on Hellman’s request but acknowledged the public concern and directed staff to proceed with the RFP and to ensure records and notices remain available to property owners.
