Abby looks at expanding grass height restrictions
Long grass growing on a couple of properties in Abbotsford has led the city council to consider a new rule that would require all landowners outside agricultural zones to keep their lawns cut, regardless of the size of their lot.
Under the city’s current ordinance, only lots under three acres must maintain a grass height of eight inches or less. At the council’s latest meeting on June 18, aldermen agreed to have city administrator Josh Soyk draft an amendment that would apply lawn height restrictions to all properties outside of agricultural zones.
Soyk said DPW Craig Stuttgen brought the issue to his attention after noticing that a couple of property owners within residential and commercial areas have not been mowing their lawns.
“Per our ordinances, if it’s more than acres, it says they don’t have to,” Soyk said.
In the past, when Stuttgen has called property owners in response to complaints, Soyk said those owners have normally paid for someone to come out and mow their grass. However, they are not required to under the current ordinance if their lot is larger than three acres.
Looking at other cities’ ordinances, Soyk said he realized that its standard practice to only exempt properties that are officially zoned agricultural. Abbotsford has a couple of ag zoned properties on the outskirts of the city, including one near the city dump.
Ald. Roger Weideman said he believes that any property in a residential “needs to be clipped.”
“That’s where I get most of the complaints from people coming into my store – the empty lots and so forth,” he said.
The rest of the council appeared to agree with Weideman, and Soyk said he would bring back an ordinance amendment to the next meeting for the council to act on.
Soyk said the city continually issues warnings to property owners who are required to cut their grass but fail to do so right away. If a property owner still refuses to cut their grass or remove noxious weeds, the city can cut the lawn and charge the owner a minimum of $50 to do so.
“We send out a lot of lawn letters,” Soak said.
Other business
■The council renewed all of the city’s beer and liquor licenses for local stores and bars, including Fat Boys Bar & Grill, which currently owes the city over $5,000 in back taxes. Their license will not be reissued until the back taxes are paid off and an inspection is done of the bar, which has not been open since a fire damaged the interior earlier this year. Soyk also noted that the new owners of the old La Katrina bar on the east side of the city plan to reopen the business without selling alcohol, but they want to hold onto the license just in case changes are made in the future. Alds. Jeremiah Zeiset and Jean Read abstained from the vote.
â– The council approved an $8,130 quote from Xylem Water Solutions USA to repair a submersible mixer in a sewer basin. Replacing the mixer would have cost over $20,000.
â– Ald. Weideman told the council that the Colby-Abby Police Commission has started its contract negotiations with the local police officers union.
â– A total of $76,354 in monthly bills was approved.
