Overgrown properties within Yazoo City are a growing concern among city leaders, and the city council intends to enforce the current city ordinance.
But Mayor David Starling publicly said during Monday’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting that city work crews would be seen on private properties cutting grass.
“I want the community to know you will see public works on some private property,” Starling said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I am not trying to run down the property owner in California because the grass needs cutting on Fifth Street. We are going to get in there, and get it done. It is our goal. It is our focus to clean this up. You will not see public works in my yard, in (the aldermen’s) yards, but you will see them on some other private properties, especially if no one is living in them. We are going to clean Yazoo City up.”
However, it is unlawful for any municipality to work on private property without following the proper legal procedures. After Starling’s comment, Board Attorney Lilli Evans-Bass did not respond publicly in reference to the law. No aldermen publicly discussed Starling’s comment either.
According to the city ordinance, there is an expedited process that the city can follow to address issues that need immediate attention. The process shortens the lengthy process to about ten days. Also, the expedited process is only applicable when the fee or cost to clean the property, 1 acre or less, does not exceed $250. Otherwise, the proper process could take several steps with resolutions to be followed.
The city ordinance states that after a property is determined to be a nuisance by the city’s building inspector and code enforcement office, a new notice for the expedited process is prepared and posted on the property and at City Hall. A certified letter is sent to the property owner. Ten days after the notices are posted and mailed, the property is re-inspected.
“If the property has not been cleaned, the City may take action to clean or have the property cleaned to resolve the noticed violations,” the ordinance states.
The cost of cleaning and penalties are then added to the property owner’s tax rolls, pending board approval.
Concerning the height of grass allowed on city properties, the city ordinance states that “it shall be unlawful for any owner of any lot, yard or real property in the city to permit weeds or grass to grow in excess of ten inches in height…”
Alderman Jammie McCoy said overgrown grass has also become an issue after a building is demolished on private property.
“Once we tear down the house, it can’t stop there,” McCoy said. “You tear down a house, and within a few weeks, we got an issue with overgrown grass. We have got to do a better job of getting back to these properties and keeping them up. If we tear down the property and the grass grows back, it is still a nuisance.”
The city council also urged the public to not move grass clippings onto the street.
“If you bag them and put them on the curve, they will be picked up,” Starling said. “We have not truly had an issue with flooding for about a year now. We don’t want to get back into that situation. (Grass clippings) in a drain will clog it up faster than just about anything you can think of. The community working with us will alleviate that problem.”
