Greener lawns in North Aurora mean leaner wallets

In North Aurora, a little green on the lawn could take a little green from the wallet.

To the chagrin of many residents trying to keep curb appeal, the village has been strictly enforcing its lawn watering restrictions, and a first-time offense will garner a $50 ticket, not a warning, officials said.

The fine doubles for the second offense and can range up to $750.

For Llyod Roin, his ticket signified a rude welcome to the neighborhood.

Roin and his family came to North Aurora in May only to find that his underground sprinkler system was not working. Sprinklers, he said, were not covered by his homeowners insurance or checked before he bought the house, which had been vacant for about a year.

He believed he had taken the right steps to fix his leaky system. Roin called a repairman who charged $500. When that did not work called another.

His father-in-law also tried to help fix the problem on July 7 at about 9:30 p.m., a half hour after the village requires sprinklers to be cut off. He found a $50 ticket waiting for him the next day.

Although trustees said Monday it was an unfortunate circumstance because the village usually does not ticket while repairs are under way, the ticket held. Roin, like many other residents, will have to pay more than his water bill.

Building and Zoning Commissioner DeWayne Williams said residents should notify the village when they need repairs to underground systems to avoid a ticket. Otherwise, he said, code enforcement officers or police can only presume the law is being broken.

Village President John Hansen said the village has taken the proper steps to notify residents that they may only water between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and if those rules are broken there will be a ticket.

Even a trustee had to pay a fine for sprinklers that were not working properly, he said.

Hansen also said the fine was unfortunate, but if he allowed one person to slide, he would have 50 more requests the next day.