Naperville hikes mowing fees to $90
The wallets of Naperville’s absentee landlords and delinquent homeowners will be considerably lighter next season if the city has to mow their lawns.
Council members Tuesday agreed unanimously to increase the fee for tall grass code violations from $35 to $90 to cover the city’s administrative costs and make the non-mowing option less attractive.
Last month, councilman Steve Chirico dropped his push to put tighter restrictions on landscapers but he pledged to seek increased fees from those who don’t keep their lawns at a reasonable length.
“This is a good step toward dealing with this issue,” he said. “Clearly the $35 we had in place before was almost an incentive for banks not to take care of their yards and have the city do it for them. I’m glad to see this moving forward.”
According to the city code, grass and/or weeds may not exceed 5 inches in height in the city-owned right of way and 8 inches on private property.
When the city receives a complaint of tall grass or weeds, the code enforcement team follows a progressive enforcement strategy. First, a letter is sent to homeowners advising them of the complaint and that the lawn must be mowed within a week. After the scheduled date, an intern will confirm whether the grass has been mowed.
If the grass has not been mowed, a code officer will go to the site, confirm that the tall grass violation exists and issue a citation. The officer then arranges for the lawn to be cut by the city’s contractor. The homeowner is billed for the mowing.
The city contractor mows between 40 and 60 lawns each year that are reimbursed by the property owner. Currently, the property owner is assessed the cost paid to the mowing contractor, $35 for the 2012 season. The offender also receives a citation, which is prosecuted in DuPage County Court.