Residents of the Town of Culver are now expected to keep their grass trimmed to eight inches or fewer.
Following an exchange of words with a resident cited by the Town for failing to mow the lawn at a property he owned, Culver decided to make more specific language in the nuisance ordinance.
Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe says the ordinance is designed to ensure grass is maintained during growing months.
“We couldn’t really prove whether or not someone actually mowed, but we can measure the grass or the weeds,” asys Murnoe. “We figure: let’s put in a measurement and get this more teeth.”
Town Manager Jonathan Leist and Council member Dave Beggs worked between the two meetings to update the ordinance to better enforce mowing local lawns.
The previous ordinance stated that lawns must be mowed once every 30 days. The ambiguity of the language was seen as potentially causing problems for individuals who only mow a section of the lawn, or who mowed the grass, but kept it at an unsightly length.
Resident John Helphrey says this is a town issue.
“If you have 1,400 citizens living in this town, and 1,300 are doing whatever they can to keep their properties clean and neat and orderly, then we’re allowing a few in the minority basis to do whatever they want with the property,” says Helphrey.
The Town Council also added All-Terrain Vehicles to the list of products that could not be kept on lawns during the revisions.
Rules were suspended and the updates were passed on all three readings.
