The elected officials in Canton, Ohio, have passed a new law: Homeowners who don’t mow their grass in this northeast Ohio city now face stiffer penalties—including possible jail time.
The city council unanimously passed a law on Monday that makes a second high-grass violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $250 and as many as 30 days in jail.
The previous law only made the first violation a minor misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $150 but no jail time. The new law will take effect in 30 days.
Mayor William J. Healy II said, “This is the type of action we need to take in order to clean up our neighborhoods and our city.” Councilman Greg Hawk said, “The laws are an effort to reduce the roughly $250,000 the city spends to cut about 2,000 private lots each year and to address public complaints.”
All this time, I thought it was the homeowners’ responsibility to cut their grass and to keep their yards looking good. Who knew that I could call my local city government, complain about the neighbor’s yard, and have them come out to cut the grass! Maybe the good citizens of Ohio haven’t heard about homeowner associations! It seems that every neighborhood in Alabama has one. And you don’t cross them! You can’t paint your front door without their approval. You can’t build on anything or add anything to your property without their approval. And, in my neighborhood, every resident has to have the same type mailbox, installed by the same man, at the price of $195 each! Talk about power!
Maybe I should move, since my house is on the market, to Canton, Ohio. Then, I could save my homeowner’s dues, never get my lawnmower repaired, or even worry about gas for my mower. I’ll just let the city do the work, cut my grass, write me a ticket, and then I can go off to jail for 30 days, eating their food, living with their air-conditioning, and sleeping in their bed. I’m sure I would get out on good behavior before the 30 days are up, maybe just in time for the grass to be cut by the city again!
The city council unanimously passed a law on Monday that makes a second high-grass violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $250 and as many as 30 days in jail.
The previous law only made the first violation a minor misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $150 but no jail time. The new law will take effect in 30 days.
Mayor William J. Healy II said, “This is the type of action we need to take in order to clean up our neighborhoods and our city.” Councilman Greg Hawk said, “The laws are an effort to reduce the roughly $250,000 the city spends to cut about 2,000 private lots each year and to address public complaints.”
All this time, I thought it was the homeowners’ responsibility to cut their grass and to keep their yards looking good. Who knew that I could call my local city government, complain about the neighbor’s yard, and have them come out to cut the grass! Maybe the good citizens of Ohio haven’t heard about homeowner associations! It seems that every neighborhood in Alabama has one. And you don’t cross them! You can’t paint your front door without their approval. You can’t build on anything or add anything to your property without their approval. And, in my neighborhood, every resident has to have the same type mailbox, installed by the same man, at the price of $195 each! Talk about power!
Maybe I should move, since my house is on the market, to Canton, Ohio. Then, I could save my homeowner’s dues, never get my lawnmower repaired, or even worry about gas for my mower. I’ll just let the city do the work, cut my grass, write me a ticket, and then I can go off to jail for 30 days, eating their food, living with their air-conditioning, and sleeping in their bed. I’m sure I would get out on good behavior before the 30 days are up, maybe just in time for the grass to be cut by the city again!
