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Homeowner disputes weed notice; council instructs staff to review enforcement letter and consider 'knock-and-talk' policy
Summary
At a homeowner-requested hearing the council heard Joel Newman's appeal of a weed/grass violation notice. The owner said the letter felt threatening and asked for better people skills and outreach; staff said the letter reflected city code and that exemptions exist.
At its June 18 meeting the De Soto City Council heard a homeowner dispute about a weed/grass code notice for property at 8575 Hilltop Road.
Property owner Joel Newman described efforts to rehabilitate lawn on roughly 0.75 acre and said he received the notice the day before he planned to mow. Newman said the letter read like a threat and argued a more community-oriented approach would have been to knock and discuss options before issuing notice.
City staff and the city attorney explained the content of the letter is copied from city code language, that exemptions for native grasses can be requested, and that enforcement is generally complaint-driven. Code enforcement staff said they have sent multiple grass letters this year and agreed council could consider a policy change to require a first-step visit or 'knock-and-talk' before formal notice in many cases.
Council asked staff to review the enforcement letter and consider options for policy adjustments to improve outreach and reduce adversarial interactions before formal enforcement.
